What a Lifetime in Policing Taught Me About Officer Wellness

By Chief Terrence M. Cunningham (Ret.)

Over the past 45 years, I have had the privilege of serving the law enforcement profession as a police officer for 36 years, a chief of police for 17 of those years, and, for the past nine years, working alongside police leaders across the globe through the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Those experiences have given me a front-row seat to both the extraordinary strength of our profession and the tremendous personal cost that service can sometimes demand.

I have watched officers run toward danger when others were running away. I have seen remarkable acts of courage, compassion, and sacrifice. I have also witnessed the toll this profession can take on those who dedicate their lives to serving others.

When I first entered policing, conversations about officer wellness were rare. We talked about training, tactics, leadership, community engagement, and operational readiness. We focused on preparing officers to handle every challenge they might encounter on the street. What we did not discuss nearly enough was the cumulative impact of stress, trauma, fatigue, and the emotional weight officers carry throughout their careers.

Looking back, that may be one of the most important leadership lessons I have learned.

For many years, we viewed wellness as a personal matter. If an officer was struggling, it was often assumed that they would find a way to work through it. Asking for help was not always encouraged and, in some cases, was actively discouraged by the culture that existed within many organizations. Today, I believe we know better.

After decades of serving as a police officer, a chief, and a national leader within the law enforcement profession, I have come to understand that officer wellness is not simply an individual responsibility. It is an organizational imperative that begins with leadership, and it remains one of the most important challenges facing our profession.

Throughout my career, I have lost colleagues, attended too many funerals, sat with officers after critical incidents, and watched exceptional people quietly carry burdens that few outside this profession could ever understand. Looking back, I wish we had talked about wellness as openly then as we do today.

There is one incident that has stayed with me throughout my career and fundamentally changed the way I viewed officer wellness.

Early in my tenure as chief, two young students were killed in a horrific motor vehicle crash. Their car struck a tree and burst into flames. Despite every effort, the officers who arrived first on the scene were unable to reach them before the fire overtook the vehicle. It was the kind of call that leaves a mark on everyone who responds.

In the weeks that followed, I began to notice subtle but unmistakable changes in two of those officers. They were outstanding officers - professional, dependable, and well respected - but something was different. Their behavior had changed in ways that were completely out of character. They weren't talking about the incident, and like so many officers of that generation, they simply tried to keep doing the job.

At the time, conversations about officer wellness were far less common than they are today. Still, I knew I couldn't ignore what I was seeing. I made the decision to have everyone involved in that incident meet privately with a professional for support.

What happened next stayed with me. One by one, the officers came back and thanked me. In private, each of them admitted that talking to someone had helped far more than they ever expected. Several acknowledged they probably never would have sought help on their own.

That experience changed me as a leader. I realized that some of the strongest officers I had ever known were carrying burdens they simply didn't know how to put down. I also learned that leadership isn't just about recognizing when someone is struggling, it's about creating an environment where getting help is viewed as a sign of professionalism rather than weakness.

That lesson has remained with me ever since. It reinforced my belief that officer wellness is not something we address only after a tragedy. It must become part of the culture of every law enforcement organization, supported by leaders who are willing to have difficult conversations and ensure their people never have to carry those burdens alone.

Officers Are Human Before They Are Police Officers

One of the greatest privileges of leadership is having the opportunity to know officers beyond the uniform.

As chiefs and supervisors, we celebrate promotions, weddings, and the birth of children. We support officers through illnesses, family challenges, injuries, and personal hardships. We attend retirement ceremonies. We attend funerals. Over time, leaders gain a unique perspective on the human side of policing.

The public often sees the badge. Leaders have the opportunity to see the person behind it.

Every officer brings their own experiences, responsibilities, hopes, and struggles to work each day. The profession asks a great deal of them. It asks them to witness tragedy, manage conflict, make life-altering decisions, and absorb stress that most people will never fully understand.

The reality is that resilience is not an unlimited resource. Even the strongest officers can be affected by years of exposure to trauma and stress. Recognizing that reality does not make someone weak. It makes them human.

The Culture of Policing Is Changing

I am encouraged by the progress I have seen across the profession.

Many of today's officers are more willing to discuss wellness, mental health, and peer support than previous generations. Agencies are increasingly investing in wellness programs, training, counseling resources, and proactive support systems.

This cultural shift is a positive development.

For too long, many officers believed they had to carry every burden alone. Strength was often defined by silence. Vulnerability was sometimes mistaken for weakness, but the truth is quite the opposite.

Strong organizations create environments where officers can seek help without fear of judgment. Strong leaders model healthy behaviors. Strong cultures encourage conversations that may be difficult but are necessary.

The profession has made meaningful progress, but there is still work to do. Changing culture requires more than policies. It requires sustained commitment from leaders at every level.

Wellness Is an Operational Imperative

One lesson that became increasingly clear throughout my career is that wellness and organizational performance are inseparable.

When officers are healthy, supported, and engaged, agencies are stronger.

When officers are overwhelmed by stress, fatigue, burnout, or unresolved trauma, the effects are felt throughout the organization. Decision-making suffers. Relationships suffer. Retention suffers. Recruitment becomes more difficult. Public trust can suffer.

Officer wellness is not separate from mission readiness; it is mission readiness. Healthy officers make better decisions under stress, build stronger relationships with their communities, and are more likely to enjoy long, successful careers. The most effective organizations understand that investing in wellness is not a distraction from public safety. It is an essential component of public safety.

If we expect officers to perform at their highest level, we must ensure they have the support, resources, and culture necessary to thrive.

Leadership Happens in Small Moments

Many people assume organizational culture is shaped by major initiatives, strategic plans, or policy changes. Those things matter, but in my experience, culture is often shaped in much smaller moments: what leaders talk about, what they prioritize, what they reward and what they ignore, whether supervisors take the time to check in on their people, and whether officers feel comfortable asking for help.

It is also shaped by whether leaders are willing to acknowledge their own challenges and experiences. Every interaction sends a message about what an organization truly values.

The most effective leaders understand that wellness is not a program. It is a commitment demonstrated through consistent actions and daily decisions.

Why I Chose to Serve on the Howard C. Liebengood Foundation Board

After a lifetime in policing, I wanted to continue contributing to the profession in a meaningful way. Throughout my career, I learned that many of the greatest challenges facing law enforcement cannot be solved by any one chief, agency, profession, or discipline acting alone.

What drew me to the Howard C. Liebengood Foundation was its recognition that improving officer wellness requires more than good intentions. It requires leadership, collaboration, and a willingness to examine longstanding assumptions about how we support the people who serve our communities.

The Foundation was created from profound loss, but it is driven by hope and action. Howie Liebengood's story is a heartbreaking reminder that even those who appear strong can be carrying burdens others cannot see. His legacy challenges all of us in leadership to ask difficult questions not only about how we respond when an officer is in crisis, but how we create organizations that better support officers throughout their careers.

What makes the Foundation's work especially important is its focus on long-term solutions. Officer wellness cannot be addressed through a single program or initiative. It requires collaboration among law enforcement leaders, researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community partners. It requires education, innovation, and a willingness to challenge longstanding assumptions. Most importantly, it requires leadership.

The Foundation is helping advance those conversations while encouraging organizations to think differently about how they support the people who dedicate their lives to public service. That collaborative approach reflects something I have believed throughout my career: meaningful change happens when people with different perspectives come together around a common purpose.

The Work Ahead

The law enforcement profession has always evolved to meet new challenges. We have adapted our training, technology, policies, and leadership practices to better serve both officers and communities. We must continue that evolution when it comes to wellness.

Future generations of officers deserve organizations that recognize wellness as a fundamental component of professional excellence. They deserve leaders who understand that taking care of people is central to the mission.

Throughout my career I have learned: the success of any law enforcement organization ultimately depends on the well-being of its people. I have come to understand that the greatest asset any law enforcement agency has is not its technology, its equipment, or even its policies. It is its people.

When we invest in the well-being of those who serve, we strengthen every aspect of policing.

The work of officer wellness is far from finished, but I am encouraged by the progress we are making. I believe the next generation of officers will inherit a profession that better understands that caring for those who protect our communities is not a sign of weakness, it is one of the highest forms of leadership.

That is why I am honored to serve on the Board of the Howard C. Liebengood Foundation and help move this work forward.