Officer mental health and wellness project.

Police departments, including the Ames Police Department, have historically focused training on building officers’ skills for job performance and safety. It is now recognized that officers also need to build and maintain their physical and mental health to perform and excel at the demanding duties of the profession. The city police department needs to continue a program focusing on officer wellness. Officers need the assurance of reliable equipment to help them perform the duties of their jobs. Outdated and malfunctioning equipment needs to be replaced. The goal of the project is to provide selected individuals within the police department with training on issues of mental health and officer wellness, to better equip the wellness room to decrease officers' stress levels and allow them a moment to breathe and decompress, and replace outdated and malfunctioning communication headsets for the emergency response team.