The 2025 OSW Conference will be taking place March 11-13 in Anaheim, California. Visit the OSW Conference event page for the latest updates.

To overcome challenges officers face on a daily basis and to recover from a critical incident, officers need to develop resiliency within themselves. The IACP offers resources and guidance for every officer on and off the job, and across every rank. Learn how to navigate adversity and thrive in the face of challenges.

Tools and Resources

• Enhancing Officer Wellness and Resiliency in Policing
• Mastering Work-Life Balance
• Providing Officers Support through Police Chaplains
• Resilience: Keys to Helping Law Enforcement Children Thrive
• Resilience Strategies for Your Role
• The Critical Components of Officer Mental Wellness and Resiliency Brochure
• Justification Toolkit for Law Enforcement Resilience
• The Impact of Facility and Therapy Dogs on Resilience

Videos and Virtual Events

• Perspective Series: The Role of Resilience in Officer Safety and Wellness
• Thriving in the Face of Adversity
• Trauma Webinar Series
  • Acute Trauma Webinar
  • Cumulative Trauma Webinar
• Integrating Resilience into Established Wellness Program
• VALOR Law Enforcement Resilience Training Program Short Overview

Current IACP Initiatives

• Law Enforcement Agency and Officer Resilience Training Program
• Vicarious Trauma Response Initiative

For more information, please contact [email protected].

Officers experience job-related stressors ranging from interpersonal conflicts to traumatic events. This cumulative exposure may affect officers’ mental and physical health, contributing to problems such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, substance misuse, depression, and suicidal ideation. One officer suicide is one too many.

Browse through available resources and tools to raise awareness of and prevent officer suicide.

If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 in the United States. Text 686868 in Canada.
• The International Association for Suicide Prevention

Tools and Resources

• National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide: Visit this page for resources created by multidisciplinary experts with a common goal of preventing officer suicide. Convened by the IACP, the Consortium focuses on solutions to emerging challenges and successes in addressing mental health and preventing officer suicide. 
• Officer Wellness Dashboard: This dashboard provides an organized, easy-to-use database highlighting legislation in each state for peer support confidentiality protections and mental health & post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in workers' compensation.
• Suicide Resource Webpage: The IACP and the National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide continue their commitment to reducing officer suicide deaths. This page provides information, resources, and contacts to help agencies with suicide prevention and provide support after a suicide death or attempt. If you need resources or information on preventing law enforcement suicide, supporting officer mental health, or responding after an officer suicide death occurs. 
• The Signs Within: Suicide Prevention Education and Awareness

Policy Papers

• Employee Mental Health and Wellness

(Note: access to most Model Policies is limited to IACP members only) 

For more information, please contact [email protected].

Police officers are routinely exposed to stressful, demanding incidents that challenge them both physically and mentally. While an officer’s individual health and wellness is important, the lifestyle and culture of policing has effects far beyond the officer themselves. Spouses, partners, parents, children, and companions of law enforcement are an essential support system for their loved one when they return home after every shift. These families and friends also need support to respond to the unique challenges they and their officer face on and off the job. 

Tools and Resources

For Agencies

• Creating an Online Support Group: Digitally Connecting Officer Families
• Emergency Preparedness Considerations Toolkit
  • For Agencies
• Executive Guide for Developing Family-Friendly Law Enforcement Policies, Procedures, and Culture
• How to Start a Law Enforcement Family Support Group: Insights and Considerations
• If You Build It, Will They Come? Creating Wellness Opportunities for Law Enforcement Families
• Law Enforcement Family Engagement Assessment Tool
• Metrics Matter: Program Tracking and Evaluation

For Officers and Families

• Emergency Preparedness Considerations Toolkit
  • For Families
• Employee and Family Wellness Guide
• How Law Enforcement Parents Can Talk to Their Children about Current Events
• Resilience: Keys to Helping Law Enforcement Children Thrive
• Social Media Safety for Law Enforcement Families
• Supporting Law Enforcement Families in Understanding Trauma
• Supporting Officer Safety Through Family Wellness Infographic Series
  • Communication in Officer Families
  • Discussing Your Job with Your Teen
  • Estate Planning
  • Financial Literacy
  • Helping Your Young Child Understand Your Job
  • Injury Reduction
  • Nutritional Needs
  • Sleep Deprivation

Videos and Virtual Events

• Family Wellness Speaker Series 
• Supporting Officer Safety Through Family Wellness Video Series
  • Estate Planning
  • Families in Focus: Family Wellness for Law Enforcement Agencies
  • Financial Literacy
  • Sleep Deprivation
  • Helping Your Young Child Understand Your Job
  • Injury Reduction
• Law Enforcement Family Wellness During COVID-19 Webinar
• Family Wellness Podcast Series
  • Family Support: How it Can Impact Recruiting, Retention, and Resilience
  • Can You Really Leave Your Uniform at Work? Strategies to Cope with Work-Family Spillover 
  • Reciprocal Family Wellness: Agencies, Families, and Officers Benefit from Support Programming

Policy Papers

• Employee Mental Health and Wellness
• Family and Medical Leave
  • Policy
  • Paper

(Note: access to most Model Policies is limited to IACP members only)

Current IACP Initiatives

• Police Family Support Training and Technical Assistance Program

For more information, please contact [email protected].

Prioritizing officer mental health is essential for the well-being of officers and their colleagues, agencies, and communities. The IACP has developed resources promoting an environment that encourages law enforcement personnel to seek help, supporting officers in feeling and performing their best.

Tools and Resources: Guidance for Officers

• Identifying and Managing Anxiety in Law Enforcement Officers
• Identifying Grief and Loss in Law Enforcement
• Mindfulness Toolkit
• Preventing Problematic Alcohol Use among Police
• Overcoming Cumulative Stress and Burnout
• Vicarious Trauma Toolkit

Tools and Resources: Guidance for Agency Leaders

• Addressing Law Enforcement Mental Health
• Agency Assessment Tool and Action Planning Roadmap
• Identifying Grief and Loss in Law Enforcement
• Preparing for the Unimaginable: How Chiefs Can Safeguard Officer Mental Health Before and After Mass Casualty Event
• Preventing Problematic Alcohol Use among Police
• Overcoming Cumulative Stress and Burnout
• Implementing Peer Support Services in Small and Rural Law Enforcement Agencies
• What Does Wellness Look Like? Academy Curriculum Flyer 

Videos and Virtual Events

• Grief & Loss in Law Enforcement: Helping Officers and Agencies Recover and Heal
• Individual Strategies to Address Officer Stress and Burnout
• Mindfulness Strategies for Law Enforcement Webinar
  • Mindfulness Strategies for Law Enforcement Webinar Part 1
  • Mindfulness Strategies for Law Enforcement Webinar Part 2
  • Mindfulness Strategies for Law Enforcement Webinar Part 3
  • Mindfulness Strategies for Law Enforcement Webinar Part 4
• Organizational Strategies to Address Officer Stress and Burnout Video
• Understanding Grief Strategies for Coping with Tough Losses

Policy Papers

• Employee Mental Health and Wellness
• Post-Shooting Personnel Support
  • Policy
  • Paper
• Responding to Persons Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis
• Temporary Light Duty
  • Policy
  • Paper

(Note: access to most Model Policies is limited to IACP members only)

It is essential for police officers to be prepared with the knowledge and tools to protect and serve their communities to the best of their abilities. The IACP offers the following resources and considerations regarding officer safety in the field.

Tools and Resources

• Law Enforcement Equipment Basics
• P.R.E.P for Duty Poster
• Reducing Officer Injuries Final Report
• Traffic Safety
  • Distracted Driving Toolkit
  • Safer Roads, Stronger Communities
  • Safe, Quick Clearance Toolkit
  • Additional resources can be found on the IACP Traffic Safety webpage

Videos and Virtual Events

• Traffic Safety: Is Today Your Day?
• Traffic Safety Initiatives Video Series
• Webinar: Officer Safety Considerations for Domestic Violence Calls

Policy Papers

• Arrests
• Body Armor
• Hostage Situations
• Investigation of Officer-Involved Shootings
  • Policy
  • Paper
• Post-Shooting Personnel Support
  • Policy
  • Paper
• Response to Barricaded Individuals
• Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)

(Note: access to most Model Policies is limited to IACP members only) 

Officers can enhance their physical health through diet, exercise, and adequate sleep. Maintaining good physical health can reduce officers’ risk of developing hypertension, heart disease, cancer, degenerative joint diseases, and diabetes. Those who maintain a healthy weight, or an active lifestyle, can reduce their risk and severity of injury. The resources below will be helpful for an agency seeking to build out their physical health and nutrition education programs.

Tools and Resources

Nutrition

• Nutrition Infographic
• Eating Well On-The-Go Fact Sheet
• Eating Well on the Go: Agency Considerations
• Eating Well on the Go: Healthy Eating and Sugar Consumption Wallet Card
• This or That: Choosing Healthy Meal Components

Sleep

• Sleep Infographic

Physical Wellness

• Fitness Considerations Guide
• Reducing Officer Injuries Resource Series
  • Reducing Officer Injuries Final Report
  • Infographic
  • Executive Summary
  • Fact Sheet: The Importance of Tracking Injuries
  • Fact Sheet: The Importance of Fitness and Weight on Injuries

Medical Care

• Doctor’s Visit Checklist
• Officer Health Watch Wallet Card
• Prescription Drug Use Among Police

Videos and Virtual Events

• Practical Law Enforcement Fitness & Nutrition Solutions for Powerful Results

Policy Papers

• Line of Duty Serious Injury
• Temporary Light Duty

(Note: access to most Model Policies is limited to IACP members only)

For more information, please contact [email protected].

The transition into retirement comes with many adjustments and questions. Planning for retirement throughout an officer’s career can help navigate changes in finances, family wellness, and social identity.

Tools and Resources

• Law Enforcement Retirement Toolkit
• Supporting Officers after the Badge
  • Considerations for Officer Retirement
  • The Impact of Retirement on Law Enforcement Families

Join the IACP Officer Safety and Wellness Section. Members of the section will have access to the expertise of safety and wellness professionals from around the world, as well as exclusive content produced by the section. Members will also be able to join the Officer Safety and Wellness IACPengage online community where fellow section members share best practices, engage in collective problem-solving, and network.

Learn more about the section and membership opportunities here.