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DOJ awards $4.5M in grants to promote LEO mental health

The funding will be used to improve mental wellness services at 41 agencies across the country

By Suzie Ziegler

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) on Wednesday announced it would be awarding $4.5 million in grants to 41 agencies across the country.

The funding will be used to improve access to and delivery of mental health services, including peer mentoring and suicide prevention programs, according to a release.

“As a law enforcement professional with over 50 years of experience, I know firsthand the pressures that accompany this most noble profession,” said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. “This Department of Justice is committed to protecting the health and wellness of a police department’s most valuable asset – the men and women that leave their homes every day with a mission to protect and serve. The grants announced today will provide departments with key mental health and wellness services.”   

The $4.5 million was awarded across 41 agencies at the local, state and tribal levels. The full list of awards is available here.

“Good mental and psychological health is just as essential as good physical health for law enforcement officers to be effective in keeping our communities safe from crime and violence,” the release reads in part.

Congress authorized the COPS Office to establish peer mentoring mental health and wellness pilot programs as part of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017.

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