TAMPA, Fla. — In July, South Florida Police Director Freddy Ramirez suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The severe stress first responders go through was but front and center.
“I think anytime you see a law enforcement officer that, you know, takes their own life, it hits home very hard,” explained Lieutenant Lisa Parashis.
Lieutenant Parashis runs TPD’s officer wellness program and behavioral health unit and is in the criminal investigation division. She said officers are faced with challenging calls on a daily basis.
“You're on a hypervigilance roller coaster. You're going to 12-hour shifts. Sometimes you're working overnight. You're not getting good sleep. You're on high alert all day. It's a very dangerous profession. You have to realize that every situation you encounter could potentially turn violent,” said Parashis.
So, now the Tampa Police Department has extensive resources available. One of the most successful is TPD’s “Peer Support Team.”
“We've broken it into five categories. That is our area of focus. So mental health, emotional health, physical health, spiritual health, and financial health. And so we tried to have programs in each of these categories for the officers to have,” said Parashis. “The peer support team is actually guided under Florida state statutes specifically made for first responders. So if they are struggling with things, they can confidentially talk to any of us about those things, and we would not have to necessarily report back the discussion."
Plus, there are other new resources in place too.
“Having retreats, the officers can go to learn how to better deal with situations. Last year, we implemented a Canine Therapy Program. We've got our Equine Therapy. We started a family support group,” explained Parashis.
The lieutenant said the behavioral health unit now checks on the entire family after an officer experiences trauma in the field. They're proactive and always looking for possible signs an officer's mental health may be suffering.
“Maybe they're coming in late, and they normally aren't that kind of person. Maybe something about their uniform. We pride ourselves in presenting ourselves in a very professional manner. And maybe they're coming to work, and they look a little sloppy, or their shirts untucked. You know, some of those signs are saying something's wrong here,” said Parashis.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, there is always help available at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay by calling 211. Or at the National Suicide and Crisis Life-line at 988.
