DALLAS — A new Dallas police program called the “officer wellness initiative” seeks to confront trauma officers experience on the job and improve overall mental health — which officers say is long overdue.
The change was launched in part from what the department learned officers needed after five police offices were killed July 7, 2016, in an ambush at the end of what had been a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas. But also stems from trauma officers see or experience each day on the job.
Officers say prioritizing wellness feels especially personal as the department marks six years since a sniper fatally shot DART officer Brent Thompson, 43; and Dallas police officers Michael Krol, 40; Lorne Ahrens, 48; Michael Smith, 55; and Patricio “Patrick” Zamarripa, 32 in downtown Dallas. Other officers and civilians were wounded but survived.
