Cooperation, Communication, and Collaboration: The New Jersey Model of Officer Wellness

Sunday, October 20, 2024

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Location: 258A

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Lewis Schlosser, PhD

Police Psychologist
The Institute for Forensic Psychology
Oakland, New Jersey, United States

Speaker(s)

DD

David D'Amico

Chief Investigator
Middlesex County Department of Corrections & Youth Services
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Jennifer Kelly, Ph.D.

Police Psychologist
Jennifer Kelly, PhD, LLC
Haddonfield, New Jersey, United States
Anastasia Pytal

Police Psychologist
First Responders Resiliency Center
Little Falls, New Jersey, United States
JR

John Russo

Chief of Police
Rutherford (NJ) Police Department
Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Brad R. Waudby, Jr.

Detective
Bergen County Prosecutor's Office
Paramus, New Jersey, United States

Cooperation, communication, and collaboration are critical to the success of officer wellness efforts. This means meaningful involvement from and interaction between multiple stakeholders, including the state’s police chiefs association and police union, culturally competent therapists and treatment facilities, and peer support officers. It also means attending to the unique wellness needs of a diverse population of officers. In New Jersey, all stakeholders selflessly contribute to a unified goal of healthy and well-functioning officers. Recommendations will be offered regarding how to enhance existing officer wellness programs. While this model emerged organically over time, it is hoped that the lessons learned can help inform other states in their officer wellness efforts.