How police leaders can help officers better handle organizational stressors

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You’ve heard us talk about the stress that comes with the duties of being a law enforcement officer. Some situations are well beyond our control. Today – we are going to shift gears and talk about organizational stressors – or stress that comes from within the agency you may work for.

In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks with law enforcement veterans William “Bill” Mazur and Joseph “Joe” Collins about how police supervisors can help officers build resiliency and better navigate critical incidents. 

Bill is a strategic account manager and public safety liaison with Acadia Healthcare who retired from his department in 2017 at the rank of Deputy Chief of Police. He currently serves as a Master Instructor with the FBI National Academy Associates, in their Comprehensive Officer Resiliency Training Program. Joseph “Joe” Collins is a public safety liaison with Acadia Healthcare who retired in 2020 from the Two Rivers (Wisconsin) Police Department as chief of police. He is a master instructor with the FBINAA’s Comprehensive Officer Resilience Train-the-Trainer Program and serves as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice as a subject matter expert in officer resilience.

About our sponsor

This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Staccato. Choose the handgun trusted by over 900 law enforcement agencies across the country. With Staccato, you can feel confident knowing you aren’t sacrificing incredible accuracy for reliability. Whether you’re protecting your family at home or on duty, Staccato has your back. Military and law enforcement receive discount pricing through the Staccato Heroes Program. Visit www.Staccato2011/heroes-program.com to learn more.

Top quotes from this episode

Being more resilient and handling your job more appropriately, there is not a destination there, it is a work in progress."

Undesirable behavior may be a sign of unwellness. That is not meant to give people free passes and excuses to not follow policy. But not everything should be defaulted to 'how do we discipline them?'"

 Very few agencies have policies regarding officers in crisis and what to do." 

Additional resources

Download the resiliency checklist discussed in this episode

Acadia Healthcare resources

about our guests

William “Bill” Mazur is a 25-year law enforcement veteran and retired from his department in 2017 as deputy chief of police. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in human resources training and development. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a master instructor with the FBI National Academy Associates in their comprehensive officer resilience training program. As a Public Safety Liaison with Acadia Healthcare’s Treatment Placement Specialists Team, he provides specialized treatment guidance for public safety personnel, first responders and families in personal crises.

Joseph “Joe” Collins is a 35-year law enforcement veteran who retired in 2020 from the Two Rivers (Wisconsin) Police Department as chief of police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and was the 2015-2016 president of the Wisconsin FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA), where he served five years on the executive board. He previously served as co-chair of the FBINAA’s Officer Safety and Wellness Committee and as a member of its Finance Committee. He is a master instructor with the FBINAA’s comprehensive officer resilience train-the-trainer program and serves as a subject matter expert consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice in officer resilience. As a Public Safety Liaison with Acadia Healthcare’s Treatment Placement Specialists Team, he provides specialized treatment guidance for public safety personnel, first responders and families in personal crises.

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