Supporting Officer Wellness: How Officer Surveys Can Inform Policy

A new bill introduced in the Senate last month (Dec, 2023) aims to study and address rising violence, aggression, and mental health strains affecting law enforcement officers across America. The “Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act” calls for several federal reports analyzing these pressing issues to ultimately improve officer safety, wellness, and work conditions.

While this bill represents a positive step, truly supporting our law enforcement also requires gathering insights directly from officers on their experiences and needs. That’s where our Officer Survey solution comes in.

What the Senate Bill Calls For

The Senate bill cites concerning statistics, like a 30% increase in unprovoked ambush attacks on officers and 60 felonious officer deaths in 2022 alone. It aims to study federal, state, and local responses to this growing violence. For example, the Attorney General would assess training programs preparing officers for ambush attacks and make recommendations for improvement.

Additionally, the bill requires analyzing non-criminal aggressive acts against law enforcement, from verbal abuse to throwing objects. It proposes capturing this data in federal crime reporting programs. The goal is to understand the full scope of trauma and stress officers face daily.

Finally, the Senate legislation calls for a comprehensive report on law enforcement mental health. This includes assessing mental health resources available to officers, use rates, and screening practices. The end goal is determining what additional resources or policy changes may help support officer wellness.

How Officer Surveys Can Complement the Policy Effort

Our Officer Survey software is designed exactly for this purpose – hearing directly from police officers about what affects their mental health, safety, job satisfaction, and more. While federal policy assessments are important, nothing can replace gathering experiential data from officers themselves.

With our secure online surveys, police and sheriff’s departments can quickly deploy customized questionnaires to their personnel. This gives leaders an invaluable window into how their agency is performing across areas like:

• • Officer morale and stress levels
  • Perceptions of administrative support
  • Safety concerns in the field
  • Opinions on training programs
  • Ideas for improving policies and procedures

 

Aggregated, anonymous survey results generate data-driven insights on officers’ needs. Leaders can then act on these findings through reforms, resource allocation, training programs, and health services.

Importantly, our surveys are confidential, removing barriers to honest feedback. The anonymity empowers officers to share their unfiltered perspectives without fear of judgment or retaliation.

Alongside federal-level reports, local Officer Surveys can provide police leadership with granular, department-specific data from their own officers. Leaders can compare their agency’s results against national trends revealed in the federal analyses. This enables targeted responses within each department rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Surveys also provide a mechanism for leaders to listen to and demonstrate concern for their officers’ wellbeing. This drives engagement, morale, and organizational health.

Key Areas Where Surveys Can Support the Policy Goals

Several focus areas of the Senate bill align closely with insights our Officer Surveys can provide. For example:

Assessing training programs:

Surveys can include direct questions asking officers’ opinions on the quality and effectiveness of their training. Open response questions also allow officers to suggest improvements.

Understanding local aggression:

Surveys can ask about both criminal and non-criminal acts of aggression officers experience locally. This provides data on issues that may not make it into federal reporting statistics.

Mental health screening:

Surveys can function as mental health screenings in themselves. Questions can ask officers about depression, trauma, suicidal thinking, and use of counseling services.

Available support resources:

Surveys can assess officer awareness and use of mental health resources, and barriers preventing officers from seeking care.

By tying findings to the federal-level data gathering called for in the Senate bill, law enforcement leaders can gain a multi-pronged view of challenges impacting their officers. Our surveys support policy efforts rather than replacing them.

The Time is Now to Listen to Officers

This Senate bill shines a spotlight on alarming trends affecting law enforcement. But policies can only go so far without also hearing from officers directly. After all, nobody understands an officer’s needs and experiences better than the officers themselves.

Officer Survey provides a mechanism to capture officers’ unfiltered feedback, priorities, and concerns. This empowers leaders to pinpoint areas for reform within their department and enhance support for officers’ wellbeing.

We applaud the aims of the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act. It takes the concerns of America’s police seriously. We at Officer Survey are proud to complement this policy effort by giving officers a voice in shaping their future. Because understanding and supporting our law enforcement starts with listening.

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Senate Bill – https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3522/text