Police department emphasizes need for mental health support
By Jenna Wilson
The St. Joseph Police Department is underlining the importance mental health services and support for law enforcement professionals following the tragic death of an officer last week.
“I’ve given a lot of thought on the best way that we can go about addressing this tragedy today,” said Capt. Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department. “I think what Officer (Kyle) Graham would have wanted is for us to do so by talking about wellness and how we’re implementing that at the department.”
Officials say focusing on the mental health of law enforcement officers has not always been a top priority in the field despite the many tragic experiences they face daily, and the police department has spent the last year working to turn that around.
“I see our department growing, in respect of, we understand it’s okay not to be okay,” Wilson said. “We understand that the superhuman bulletproof police officer does not exist. And as a matter of fact, to think that it did is damaging for us to go out there and do our job daily and I see that in our department. Years ago, that would have been seen as not growth and maybe even weakness but for us, accepting your emotions is progress.”
St. Joseph officers described Graham as a public servant with a big heart for the job he worked. But despite playing the role of hero, law enforcement officers are humans who often have their emotions overlooked.
“This career is considered to be one of the most physically dangerous, mentally dangerous, and traumatizing professions that you can be involved in,” Wilson said. “And our officers and Officer Graham chooses to do it. So, it’s our responsibility as leaders to make sure we’re doing what we can to recognize not just what it does to the body physically but in other ways.”
The St. Joseph Police Department will continue to offer a peer support group made up of trainer officers experiencing common challenges in their profession to help colleagues cope with tragic situations and become educated on taking care of their personal mental health.
Family, friends and community members are encouraged to gather from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory to honor the life of Graham. The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at Word of Life Church followed by a precession.
Community members can donate to the Kyle Graham Memorial Fund to support his family through the QR code photo attached.
