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November / December 2009
Volume 21, Number 6

News you can use

TAC Adds Wellness to its Law Enforcement Training

Deputies heading to TAC’s upcoming Spring Law Enforcement Regionals can expect to learn about healthy living. Stemming from growing concerns about the health of county law enforcement officers, TAC is including safety and wellness as part of its training courses.

The regional workshops, taking place in January and February, will include discussions concerning mental wellness, nutrition information and a video presentation on self-defense.

While physical fitness and nutrition have not been the main focus of past law enforcement trainings, it is an issue that TAC Law Enforcement Specialist Carmella Jones has been working to tackle.

In 2006, Jones was part of a group of TAC employees and county jail administrators that developed and inaugurated a course to teach basic knowledge of jail administration to new county law enforcement employees.

“We had our first class in September of 2006, and we noticed some of the guys in the class were large and were not taking care of themselves,” Jones said. “Then we had a second class in October of 2007 and it was the same thing. It was a group of overweight, unhealthy individuals.”

The most compelling sign that a change needed to be made did not come until an officer in the first class died at the age of 42 from diabetes complications. “You know the story, he was a nice guy, everybody loved him,” she said. “He was just not taking care of himself.”

The tragedy spurred TAC to implement more training on mental and physical health. Jones even invited the law enforcement employees attending the administration course to walk with her at 6 a.m., before the course started. When she started getting complaints about the early time, she started a 5 p.m. walk as well. The jail administration course in November will include walking groups based on fitness levels.

“We want to eliminate all of their excuses,” she said. “We also wanted them to learn that even something itty-bitty like walking thirty minutes or an hour a day can make a big difference.”

Now, peace officer health and fitness education is moving beyond the jail administration course and into TAC’s law enforcement regional workshops.

According to data analysis of on-the-job law enforcement injuries that resulted in workers’ compensation claims filed with the Texas Association of Counties, the training is long over-due and needs to become a part of all law enforcement education. Data collected from Aug. 1, 2008 through Sept. 30, 2009 indicates that physical condition is the leading contributing factor behind law enforcement officer injuries.

“There are things you wish you had done more of. ... I wish I had taken better care of myself. I wish I had promoted health and wellness earlier,” Jones said. “Maybe this is making up for it, maybe rectifying the situation – a chance to make it right.”