Join fellow attendees to kick off the 2026 OSW Conference, featuring welcome remarks from IACP leadership, New Orleans Police Department, and Louisiana State Police and a moving keynote presentation. Wellness and Influence: How Informal Leaders Model Wellness Through Adversity, Adaptation, and Outlook Across law enforcement agencies, culture is often shaped by informal leaders, the respected officers, supervisors, and peers whose attitudes, behaviors, and outlook quietly set the tone for everyone around them, as much as formal policy or structure. These individuals are often the first to step in during a crisis, the ones others rely on, and the ones who absorb stress so others do not have to. This presentation centers on the lived experience of Detective Constable Pete Tucker, an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) whose career-altering injury and return to service illustrate resilience, perspective, and the power of modeling wellness through action rather than words. By focusing on informal leadership, the session explores how caring for oneself is not a retreat from responsibility, but a way to sustain influence, encourage others, and quietly set a healthier cultural norm.

From films to TV dramas, media portrayals of law enforcement often distort reality and shape public expectations. This session explores how fictionalized images of policing contribute to community tension, mistrust, and stress for officers. Drawing from psychology, media studies, and law enforcement culture, we examine how these portrayals impact officer identity and public interactions. Attendees will gain practical wellness strategies to manage media-induced pressure, reframe public encounters, and support mental health across their agency.

• Upon completion, attendees will be able to describe how media portrayals of law enforcement influence public perception and officer identity, drawing on examples from psychology, media studies, and real-world policing.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to identify at least three wellness challenges officers face due to media-driven public expectations and explain how these challenges affect professional performance and emotional health.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to demonstrate practical strategies for reframing public interactions and managing media-related performance pressure within their agency or peer support role.

Head trauma and impacts (HIT), along with blast overpressure (BOP) injuries, can cause symptoms that impair a law enforcement officers ability to perform their duties. These may include headaches, visual disturbances, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, irritability, anxiety, and depression. Often, these symptoms are misattributed solely to psychological causes. Understanding the underlying causes and recognizing HIT and BOP-related symptoms is essential for accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and long-term prevention. This presentation will examine the potential for neurodegenerative diseases resulting from prolonged exposure to HIT and BOP, and will explore evidence-based strategies for both prevention and care.

• Upon completion, attendees will be able to identify the potential symptoms and consequences of head impacts and trauma (HIT) as well as blast overpressure (BOP) injuries that law enforcement officers may be unknowingly experiencing.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to describe strategies to prevent head impact and trauma (HIT) and blast overpressure (BOP) injuries among officers in the line of duty, to include during training.
• Upon completion, attendees will understand how head impact and trauma (HIT) and blast overpressure (BOP) injuries among law enforcement officers can be effectively treated.

On January 29, 2025, a tragic mid-air collision occurred at Reagan National Airport, resulting in the loss of 67 lives. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police Department was among the responding agencies. Lt. Blayman & his canine partner Tiller, a 4-year-old Black Lab facility dog, were among the first on scene. Tiller is specially trained to provide psychological & emotional support to individuals & groups experiencing stress, anxiety or trauma. Following the incident, Tiller offered comfort & support to LE, personnel, family members, & airport staff for more than 3 weeks. Placed by Mutts with a Mission in 2023, Tillera??s unique training & calm demeanor reduce stress, foster communication/positive interactions & promote wellbeing among LE in high-pressure situations.

• Upon completion, attendees will be able to describe 2-3 situations or events in which a support or facility dog has been effectively used to enhance stress management and law enforcement well-being.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to discuss the training and certification process for facility or support dogs in law enforcement environments.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to identify key behavioral activities of facility dogs that help mitigate traumatic stress.

Critical incidents are an unavoidable part of law enforcement, but their emotional and psychological impact on officers can last long after the scene is cleared. This session examines how the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) implemented a structured, proactive peer support model that prioritizes officer wellness following critical events. Participants will learn how CPD tracks and supports affected employees immediately after an incident and at 3-, 6-, and 9-month intervals. This system promotes ongoing connection, early identification of stress-related concerns, and a culture of care within the department. The session will also cover best practices for peer support team engagement, data tracking, confidentiality, and leadership buy-in.

• Identify the key components of a structured follow-up system for officers involved in critical incidents, including timing, roles, and communication methods.
• Describe the process Chattanooga Police Department uses to track and document wellness check-ins at immediate, 3, 6, and 9-month intervals.
• Demonstrate how to apply a proactive peer support approach within a law enforcement agency by outlining at least one actionable step to implement or enhance follow-up protocols.

In 2023, a mass shooting on the campus of Michigan State University resulted in the deaths of three students and injuries to five others. In the immediate aftermath, the Michigan State Police Office of Behavioral Science facilitated recurring critical incident debriefings over three consecutive days for the four responding law enforcement agencies. This presentation, led by the police psychologists who coordinated and conducted these debriefings, will explore both the logistical and clinical considerations involved in delivering large-scale psychological support to first responders following a mass casualty event. The session will serve as a blueprint for agencies seeking to implement effective mental health interventions in the wake of traumatic incidents.

• Upon completion, attendees will be able to identify the key logistical and clinical considerations involved in planning and facilitating critical incident debriefings for law enforcement following a mass casualty event.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to apply lessons learned and best practices to develop a framework for coordinating psychological support for first responders in future large-scale traumatic incidents.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to gain insight into best practices for planning, executing, and adapting critical incident debriefings under high-stress, rapidly evolving circumstances.

Policing has no bench and the consequences are showing. Officers are covering multiple roles, working excessive overtime, and operating without relief, fueling burnout, errors, liability, and psychological harm. This session explores how the absence of backup contributes to trauma, moral injury, and workforce depletion. Presenters will offer a framework for organizational change embedding wellness, improving return-to-duty processes, and building sustainable staffing to keep officers healthy and departments operational.

• Upon completion, attendees will be able to describe how chronic understaffing and the absence of a relief structure in law enforcement contribute to officer burnout, emotional exhaustion, and increased organizational risk.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to identify the psychological and operational consequences of cumulative trauma in departments lacking adequate recovery time or staffing support.
• Upon completion, attendees will be able to explore and evaluate organizational strategies such as return-to-duty protocols, embedded wellness resources, and staffing reforms that can improve officer well-being and agency sustainability.

What do you do when there is a lack of available culturally competent mental health professionals to help your officers? Bring them in and give them an inside look at your culture! This workshop, led by a licensed clinician and a retired police captain, will give an overview of a cultural competency class they created and are currently using to help increase the number of available mental health professional to treat first responders and first responder families. Class attendees will walk away with tips and ideas on how to create their own training program that can be zero cost and a great benefit to their agency.

• Understand and define "Culturally Competent Clinician"
• Understand tools and framework to put together a workshop that will introduce clinicians to the law enforcement culture.
• List a variety of resources and ideas for their agency to partner with mental health professionals to bring a higher level of care to first responders and their families.

The National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide presents a workshop addressing the critical yet underrecognized impact of head injuries in policing. Traumatic brain injuries resulting from physical confrontations, training incidents, or vehicular collisions are linked to depression, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation. Drawing insights from military and professional sports medicine, this session will explore evidence-based strategies for prevention, assessment, and management. Subject matter experts will outline protocols for baseline testing, symptom monitoring, and return-to-duty procedures, equipping participants with actionable tools to enhance officer wellness and mitigate long-term neurological effects.

• Examine the connection between acquired brain injuries and mental health challenges, including increased suicide risk among law enforcement personnel.
• Identify early indicators of acquired brain injuries and the associated cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes that can impact officers mental and physical wellness.
• Evaluate evidence-based protocols and agency-level strategies to integrate brain health screening, intervention, and support into comprehensive suicide prevention and wellness programs.

Law enforcement professionals face extraordinary adversity and most wellness programs focus only on surviving it. Struggle Well, an evidence-based program rooted in the science of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), offers a transformative alternative. Developed by Boulder Crest Foundation, this training empowers peer teams and agency leaders with tools to foster strength and meaning in the aftermath of struggle. This session will explore how Struggle Well is improving morale, shifting culture, and building more connected, mission-driven agencies a?? by helping officers not just get by, but grow.

• Understand the core principles of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) and how they differ from traditional models of resilience and stress management in law enforcement.
• Learn how the evidence-based Struggle Well program equips officers, peer support teams, and leaders to process adversity and grow through struggle.
• Identify actionable steps to implement Struggle Well within your agency to enhance officer wellness, peer support effectiveness, and long-term organizational health.