Roll Call: Spiritual Wellness for First Responders

Amidst the growing conversation around officer wellness, spiritual wellness is often left out. The stressful and frequently dangerous nature of the job places a burden on officers that most people never endure. Law enforcement is regularly called upon to deal with hurting and distressed citizens, which can lead to a negative perception of the world. This, coupled with the COVID crisis, public demand for services, declining resources, and a critical atmosphere, has placed increased pressure on officers and their families. This presentation explores the role spiritual wellness plays in following basic principles of integrity, values, ethics, and morals, and discusses various aspects of being spiritually well and its critical role in officer wellness.

  • Participants will identify various aspects of spirituality that include but are not limited to religion.
  • Through real-life examples, participants will see the valuable role of spiritual wellness in officer health and wellness.
  • Participants will understand the broad definition of spiritual wellness and the many aspects of being spiritual.

Iva Rody, M.A.

Associate Director

National Center For Prevention of Community Violence

Throughout her career, Iva Rody has continued to serve as an advocate in both the government and private sectors. Mrs. Rody has a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice, a Master of Administration and has been successful at developing and implementing multiple law enforcement-based and community programs. Often, Mrs. Rody is called upon to provide training and professional development on current trends and best practices in Officer Wellness, Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Crisis Intervention, and Advocacy. She is a graduate of the Arizona POST Leadership Program and serves as a committee member for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Victim Services Committee, the National Center for Prevention of Community Violence and the Federal Bureau of Investigations ELEVATE Committee. Ms. Rody serves as faculty at Arizona State University, has extensive experience in program management, and serves as a peer reviewer for the US Department of Justice. Ms. Rody has been recognized by the Arizona Attorney General for Distinguished Service in recognition of Outstanding Leadership and the IACP Excellence in Victim Services Award. In her role, Ms. Rody regularly leads solutions-based programming for the nation's first responder community where she emphasizes the importance of holistic wellness for public safety personnel and their families. Ms. Rody often engages innovative technology to promote access to critical resources that improve and support those she serves.

Bobby Kipper

Executive Director/Retired Police Officer

National Center for Prevention of Community Violence

Bobby Kipper is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author with over four decades of experience in both the public and private sector. Bobby's journey began with a successful twenty-six-year career with the Newport News Virginia Police Department. Following his local law enforcement service, he served as the Director of the Gang Reduction Program for the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia for 4 years. In addition, he served as a school safety and discipline specialist with the Virginia Department of Education for 4 years. He went on to start a successful national consulting company focusing on training and technical assistance for both public and private industry. In 2009 Bobby founded the National Center for Prevention of Community Violence which currently serves communities and schools across America in an effort to interrupt the process of violence through proven solutions. Bobby's efforts have been recognized by local, state, and national leaders for his consistent approach to positive community change at the public and private levels. He has been awarded the FBI Director’s award for the Fight Against Crime in America as well as he was recognized for Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement on three separate occasions. His work has been featured on: CSPAN, National Public Radio, Fox News Network, MSNBC, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and a number of local and regional media outlets. Bobby has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Memphis and the University of North Florida. He is called to provide keynote and conference presentations both nationally and internationally and his current bestselling book “Performance Driven Thinking” is being highlighted as a pathway for improving performance in public and private organizations across America.

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