Supervising the Undercover Officer

Safe Call Now with Gayland & Charlie at the Undercover Conference

Over the last seven years I've had the honor to have an open invitation to speak at The International Association of Undercover Officers conferences nationwide.  Charlie Fuller (my "Bo") has been a mentor to me and adviser on how to help the undercover officers when life goes bad for them and they require treatment.  Imagine a job where you get paid to drink, lie, drive cool cars and basically do whatever you want?  Not a bad gig... until you come home to the real world and deal with life.

One thing I've learned while training undercover officers and placing them into treatment that to do well in the profession, you sometimes become the "lie".  Think about it?  In order to achieve the objective in whatever undercover role you adopt, you become an actor.  To stay alive you become adept at becoming a great role player.  If you get caught in a lie when undercover there is the potential that you may lose your life so you become an even better liar than those out there lying to you.  Getting confusing, yes it can be.  The healthy boundaries of life can start getting blurred and obliterated for the undercover.

Imagine if you will, being undercover in a role for a long period of time and all the things you despise about those that commit crimes and you start living in that world and order to be the best, you become them.  It happens far more often than you think.  Now do this for 10 or 15 years.  Once you become the role you play, your family doesn't recognize you anymore.  You are no longer the person you were.  Admiration and adulation from your bosses and even the bad guys becomes intoxicating and your negative behavior receives valued praise.  The "switch" begins.

 

Officer Survives Suicide Attempt... Contacts Safe Call Now

Safe Call Now & Shine the Light

OFFICER ATHLETE SURVIVES SUICIDE AND TURNS HIS STORY INTO A CAUSE
5k Run and Multi-Race event to raise awareness for mental health issues facing law enforcement.

Agent Doug Monda never saw it coming. In his 15-years as a police officer, SWAT cop, drug agent, lifelong athlete and adrenaline junkie, he was the last person to see what nearly cost him his life. In 2014 Monda was a trigger pull away from taking his own life. “I couldn’t escape the pain. I was so tired of being in pain, physically and mentally and no one could tell me anything or show me anything that could make it go away,” Monda said during a lengthy conversation about why he is now speaking out. “Ultimately, in my mind, at that point, the only way I could be pain free was to leave.” But fortunately for Monda his coworkers and close friends, including Chief Mike Cantaloupe, intervened through a program called Safe Call Now. “That’s what we did. We contacted them and these people from out of state across the country came out of nowhere to help me,” Monda added. 

“They’re there. You just have to ask for help. This is why I am speaking publicly. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through.”

Agent Monda now uses his athletic ability and passion for law enforcement to draw attention to the cause. His sponsor, MultiRace LLC, is helping him put on an inaugural 5K in Cocoa Village. The Shine the Light 5K is scheduled for Saturday May 21st at 7:30 p.m. The start and finish for the race will be at Riverfront Park in downtown Cocoa. According to Monda, police patrol vehicles will line portions of the course and select organizations representing mental wellness, suicide prevention, drug and alcohol abuse prevention and others will be set up in the park providing information. 

The following day, MultiRace will host the 2016 Tri Cocoa Village Sprint and Olympic Triathlon at the same location. “It’s all about awareness and knowing there is help available if you just ask for it,” Monda said. “I am so grateful for the people who helped save my life and I want others to see that if I can make it, they can too.”

For more information or to register for the events go to www.multirace.com.

I'm a Cop and a Parent... Emotional Anorexia

By Safe Call Now's Dr. Laura Brodie

In my work with cops, I’ve worked with their kids. Cops need to hear what their kids are complaining about.  “He treats me like a suspect.” “She doesn’t trust me.” “He is cold and unfeeling, telling me what I’m doing wrong and never what I’m doing right.” But in talking to cops, I hear over and over how much they love their kids and remain confused about why their children do not feel their love.  Being a cop is a job that bleeds over to one’s personal life. The same can be said with psychologists.  We psychologists place our own children on the couch of “processing” everything instead of allowing our children to simply be kids. Cops tend to respond to rule breaking in a matter of fact way, slap on the cuffs and haul them in. But what if this person is your child?

Parenting is not policing and approaching your own child as a felon will only result in hurt and anger. Law enforcement individuals desire their children to turn out as law abiding.  This can result in a rigidity that does not allow the child to have a healthy rebellion and disagreement that can result in a healthy adult. Your kid is going to be a kid.  Your kid is going to push rules, hit buttons and try to be adult too soon.  Your job is to navigate this without instilling fear or doubt in your child, allowing freedom and individualization while monitoring for disaster. It’s a hard job. But in all of it you have to realize, this is your child who needs guidance and not an individual who needs harshness.

On the job a cop cannot accept disagreement, but as a parent you have to accept rebellion and understand that this rebellion allows for healthy development. If you police a child like a felon you risk multiple dangers. You tell your child he/she is untrustworthy, that they cannot make good decision and you know better than everyone else. 

Safe Call Now's Captain Brian Nanavaty Honored by the Department of Justice

Safe Call Now's Director of Training & Curriculum - Captain Brian Nanavaty

U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch will recognize the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department this week for its efforts in officer safety and wellness.

Lynch is slated to spend Wednesday at the IMPD Training Academy and East District headquarters as part of her national Community Policing Tour. Throughout the tour, now in its second phase, Lynch will visit six communities that excel in one of the six pillars featured in a policing report created by President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

The six pillars are building trust and legitimacy; policy and oversight; technology and social media; community policing and crime reduction; officer training and education; and officer safety and wellness. Indianapolis represents the sixth pillar.

Other communities included in the tour are Miami-Dade County, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Phoenix; and Los Angeles.

“One of my top priorities as attorney general is strengthening relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve and protect,” Lynch said in a statement. “During the second phase of my Community Policing Tour, I will be highlighting some of the innovative efforts underway around the country to build trust, foster cooperation and enhance public safety.

"I look forward to meeting with law enforcement officers, local leaders and residents in the weeks and months ahead to discuss how we can ensure that every American benefits from neighborhoods that are supportive, safe and strong.”

U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler said IMPD was chosen because of its award-winning Office of Professional Development and Police Wellness. The office, led by Capt. Brian Nanavaty, was established in 2010.

With the theme of “Healthy Hire-Healthy Retire: Wellness is more than just an annual physical,” the office was created to provide officers with the tools and support they need to handle common sources of stress and combat employment problems, Minkler said. The program is also proactive and designed to stop problems before they develop.

For entire story "click here" 

#1stresponders... Guess What? We're Not Perfect

By Safe Call Now's Dr. Laura Brodie

As I think about how those in helping professions were raised, it was a message of doing your best and making sure you take care of others.  Often this was taking care of a vulnerable family member.  The person was a substance abuser, a depressed individual, an anxious parent or a parent who needed you as a child at a level you were ill equipped to handle. You became what we in the profession call a “parentified child”.  In talking to individuals who have taken on this role it is obvious they did not realize it.  They saw the path they traveled as having great parents who had no problems and they simply helped or listened. I think it is the same in First Responders. Who else runs into danger when everyone else is running away?

I get worried anytime I hear a client say, “My parents were great/perfect, no problems.” Let’s face it, none of us were raised perfectly and our indoctrinations of the past can control our reactions to the future. The child learns to blame him/herself early in life if there is any conflict. The result is a highly responsible individual that believes he/she is without a self.  He/she strives to become someone who helps humanity, but also is oblivious that they have little coping skills available because of the caretaker life they have lived.

Wait, you would think the parentified child adapted to adults at a young age so they should be ahead of the game. Nope. As a child there is a need for guidance, not caretaking. A child does not need to rescue yet they do. It is instinct. The child has to make sure his needs are met or he does not have a chance of thriving. The rescue the child does is to stay alive. 

The rescue idea of the “parentified child” although now in an adult body never leaves this concept. Losing people during a rescue, a hostage situation or a suicide scars deep because as a child you were supposed to save someone you cared about.  A task a child could never accomplish. As an adult, this drama is replayed in the death of the person you tried to save but could not or the person who did not love life as much as you. You are set up in a no won situation but your brain still looks for solutions many months or years after the event. 

Financial Wellness for the #1stresponder

Safe Call Now® and Financial Wellness

“If you fail to plan- you are planning to fail.” Benjamin Franklin

Studies show the #1 reason for the dissolution of relationships in the first 7 years is financial discord. Add to that the stress of a career spent as a first responder and it is no wonder many enter their golden years unprepared physically, emotionally and most of all financially. 

The professionals at My Money Wellness© have teamed up with Safe Call Now® to offer financial education and literacy training using a fun and motivating three part concept:

Classroom/Online Workshop: The experts at My Money Wellness© utilize an easy to follow workbook to walk students through an understanding and application of the following financial concepts: 

·         Budgeting and Planning for Emergencies

·         Tackling Debt

·         Relationships and Money

·         Wealth Building 

The financial themes are presented in an open workshop style format designed specifically for the public safety professional and the first responder family. 

Web-Based Training: In addition to the classroom workshop, Safe Call Now® and My Money Wellness© also offer ongoing online education. Web- based learning helps the student build on the classroom training through long-term reinforcement. This ongoing education allows public safety professionals to refocus and gain control of their money, secure their future, and create peace of mind through long-lasting behavioral changes.

Individual Coaching:  Successful individuals, like professional athletes, musicians, and actors have coaches to help them stay on track by focusing on areas specific to their individual needs. Financial coaching enhances an individual’s finances in the following areas: 

·         Wealth Building

·         Fine Tuning

·         Crisis

·         Accountability

Join the thousands who have become financially literate through the workshops, online education and coaching provided by the professionals at My Money Wellness©. For more information on Financial Wellness Contact Safe Call Now Director of Training and Curriculum Brian Nanavaty at BN@safecallnow.org or 317-339-5118.