Title
Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Implementation Grant (Ordinance S-52111) - Citywide
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to allow the Police Department to apply for, accept, and enter into an agreement with the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office for the FY25 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Implementation Grant. The grant amount is not to exceed $200,000. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
This program will support efforts to protect the mental health and well-being of law enforcement officers. The goal of this grant is to improve the delivery and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers and their families through the implementation of peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention and other promising practices for wellness programs.
The Employee Wellness Unit has initiated new programs focused on building resilience in employees so they can better prevent, mitigate and recover from the cumulative stress and exposure to traumatic incidents they experience as unique elements of their work life. One of the new resiliency-based programs created for Police Department employees is the Mental Performance and Development Referral Program. This program provides mental performance services through the implementation of peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention and other promising practices for wellness programs to employees who have presented physical, verbal, behavioral and cognitive indicators of performance anxiety, while involved in high-stress, rapidly evolving law enforcement situations.
The Employee Wellness Unit will use this grant funding to expand the current program, which will provide proactive wellness practices to the entire Police Department. The funding will help encourage resilient wellness strategies for the challenges faced by police employees through the Mental Performance and Development Referral Program.
The grant application is due on June 24, 2025. If approved, the Police Department will move forward with submitting the application.
Contract Term
The project period is for three years and will begin on October 1, 2025.
Financial Impact
No matching funds are required.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.