Implementing Peer Support Services for Small and Rural Agencies

This session discusses how peer support training and approaches can be tailored to meet the wellness and resilience needs of small and rural agencies. Panelists discussed different considerations for peer prevention and resilience support, peer intervention during difficult times, and peer postvention following critical incidents. Using lessons learned from the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMWHA) Peer Support in Small and Rural Agencies pilot project, presenters will discuss how to develop manageable, sustainable peer support services. New resources from COPS Office LEMWHA program and the IACP OSW initiatives will be shared.

  • Explain unique training approaches for small and rural agencies.
  • Demonstrate skills from peer support training.
  • Discuss training and resource options for small and rural agencies from the COPS Office, IACP, and Cop 2 Cop.

Jennifer Styles

Program Manager

IACP

Jennifer Styles is a Program Manager at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. She is an experienced criminal justice grant manager with a strong ability to translate the needs of the field into tangible resources, services, and trainings. Ms. Styles specializes in community-police relations, officer safety and wellness, pretrial justice, volunteer management, emergency preparedness, and tribal and smaller agency issues. Ms. Styles currently oversees IACP’s portfolio of officer safety and wellness work to include the Officer Safety and Wellness Symposium, National Consortium on the Prevention of Law Enforcement Suicide, Innovative Approaches to Officer Safety and Wellness, VALOR Law Enforcement Resilience Training Program, National Peer Support Program for Small and Rural Agencies, and Law Enforcement Family Wellness Training and Technical Assistance Program. 

Nazmia Comrie

Senior Program Specialist, COPS Office

Nazmia E.A. Comrie is a senior program specialist in the Resources and Technical Assistance (RTA) division at the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). Nazmia provides leadership for the development, implementation, and delivery of technical assistance efforts to state, local, tribal, and campus law enforcement agencies across the county as the program manager for the Collaborative Reform Initiative. She is an issue manager for issues related to human trafficking, hate crimes, interpersonal violence, and mass demonstrations, and has expertise in officer wellness and safety and youth safety. To date Nazmia has authored and coauthored a number of publications relevant to her areas of expertise and the criminal justice field as a whole, including Building Stronger, Safer Communities: A guide for law enforcement and community partners to prevent and respond to hate crimes. In addition Nazmia was a significant contributor to the After-Action Assessment of the Police Response to the August 2014 Demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri report that was released in 2015. Nazmia received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Rochester and her master's degree in criminal justice from University at Albany, where she worked on research involving homicides, wrongful convictions, community policing, and gangs. 

Cory Darling

Chief

Sunriver Police Department

Cory Darling is currently the chief of police for the Sunriver Police Department. He has over 32 years of law enforcement service. He has served with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office as a Marine Patrol Deputy, an officer with the Sunriver Department of Public Safety, a Trooper with the Washington State Patrol and has held the positions of Officer, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain with the City of Bend Police Department. Cory has also served in numerous special assignments, including: 5 years as a Narcotics Investigator for the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE) and 16 years with Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (SWAT), Motor Officer, Street Crimes Sergeant, Firearms Instructor, Integrated Use of Force Instructor and Field Training Officer. Cory holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy class 237. He also has served or currently holds positions as Past President of the Oregon Tactical Officers Association (OTOA), Past Vice President of the Oregon Narcotics Officers Association (ONEA), Past Central Oregon Police Chaplaincy Board Member, Current Oregon Association Chiefs of Police (OACP) liaison for the Oregon Terrorism Information Threat Analysis Network (TITAN) Fusion Center, Current Vice President of the Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, Past Chair of the Deschutes County Crisis Intervention (CIT) Steering Committee, Past National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).

Bryan Conrad

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