GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Law enforcement across Michigan continue to mourn the death of an Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy.
Bradley Reckling is He was shot and killed on Saturday night. During a pursuit of a stolen vehicle in Detroit, a suspect shot and killed Reckling, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
When officers are called to duty, they see the worst of the world: a long list of traumatic calls, including the loss of a colleague.
“There are crisis situations that our officers have to deal with every day,” said Lindsey Cole, chief deputy with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. “I can’t emphasize enough how important the service is here. Our officers have seen some very tragic incidents. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Cole has worked for KCSO for more than 20 years, and for a year he oversaw the department’s peer support team, made up of 30 deputies from jails, police and dispatch units, who are trained to help their colleagues after traumatic incidents.
“There’s clearly a need,” Cole said. “It’s very important to staff, and although there are confidentiality requirements, we know there are a lot of staff who would use their services.”
Officers can talk one-on-one with team members or meet in larger groups to debrief emotional incidents.
If you need further assistance, you will be connected through the County’s Employee Assistance Program to ENCOMPASS, a free service that provides confidential, 24/7 support to full-time and part-time County employees.
Many of ENCOMPASS’ trained clinicians have previous law enforcement experience, Cole said, and the group can also refer sheriff’s deputies to other health care providers in town.
Peer support teams are also trained to look out for their colleagues and reach out if they show signs of needing help.
“The goal of our team at any given time is to identify anyone who may be experiencing difficulties, who has experienced a known significant incident, who may be experiencing personal difficulties,” Cole said. “This is not just a professional service, it can also be a personal service to staff.”
Cole said the approach will ensure the happiness and health of employees and allow deputies to respond “to the best of their ability on any given day.”
Each agency has its own approach: The Grand Rapids Police Department has a licensed social worker on staff.
“There’s always room for improvement in the service that we provide,” Cole said. “I think we provide good service here and work with our staff, but there’s always more we can do.”
Not just Cole GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom She says there has been a culture change in police departments about mental health, where officers are not just allowed but encouraged to speak openly about what they’ve seen and experienced.
She said older deputies on her command staff who once questioned the effectiveness of peer support teams now support the approach and encourage their staff to participate.
“It’s really been a game changer for our department, especially the older commanders, saying, ‘This is a great service. I’ve used it, I’ve been to the debriefings,'” Cole said. “There are a lot of benefits to it, and now we encourage our staff to participate.”
