When New Haven Police Chief Carl Jacobson took over the department, he said he wanted his officers to treat the community with respect and dignity. Now he's trying to evolve that concept.
“When someone doesn't treat a community with respect and dignity, what's the root cause of that? Similar to how we view our community,” Jacobson said.
NBC Connecticut interviewed him to discuss his plans. He said officers are asking for more mental health and wellness support and understands why some people need it. He recalled two shooting incidents in which four new officers tried to save two victims.
“When I saw that video, I said we have to do everything we can to help our officers with their mental health and well-being so they can be better officers and better serve their communities.” You can become a better person.”
The plan is for the lieutenant to be the go-to person for help after a particularly traumatic experience.
“Debriefing sessions will be set up soon, peer support will be enacted, there will be comfort dogs, that will be enacted. EAPs will be enacted as needed,” he said. He added that these tools for current officers will also help with the mental health of retired officers.
This proposed position is included in the Mayor's budget for approval by the Alder City Commission. The chief said he is also applying for a $200,000 federal grant to fund the position and resources. If approved, he hopes to expand beyond one lieutenant.
Currently, Lt. Michael Fumiatti is doing a lot of work in this field.
“That means the average person will experience two to three traumas in their life. The average police officer will see about 800, which I think is a very low number. Masu.”
He said five people could work an eight-hour shift on their worst day.
“This is a compounding effect, and we need to do a better job of helping police officers understand how trauma affects them so they can be more productive people, police officers, etc. I think there is,” Humiyatti said.
The second part of the job is to provide support and resources to the community.
“Many of these truly traumatic situations have a long-lasting impact on the community, so ultimately the police should play a role in ensuring there are people who can help,” he added.
The department has a lot of ties to community programs, Fumiatti said. He points to long-standing partnerships with a variety of institutions, including the Yale Children's Learning Center and Clifford Beale, as well as a new relationship with COMPASS, a community crisis response team.
He said there could also be opportunities for officers to receive more training in crisis response. He has conducted many crisis intervention trainings during his career. The mental health of police officers is related to how they respond to the community to provide similar support.
“So if we're already in our living rooms, why don't we try to give people more?”
