Carbondale Police Department providing mental health resources to employees

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KBSI) – The Carbondale Police Department recently received 60 copies of Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin Gilmartin, which Deputy Chief Anthony Williams said helps law enforcement and their families navigate stress and anxiety associated with the job. 

“Police officers, sometimes their personalities can be affected by what we see, by what we deal with,” he said.

Williams said it can be easy sometimes for those in law enforcement to become cynical towards the world. 

“Certainly, if you’re not careful, you can grow to be a cynic if all you deal with are people’s bad days, and you never take the time to remember there’s good things going on, too,” he said.

The department has also formed a peer support team to provide a network of people that officers and civilians can talk to when they have any issues. 

“These officers go through a lot with each other,” Williams said. “These dispatchers, these civilians, we all kind of share these experiences with each other, so it’s good for them to be able to share what’s going on in their personal lives, too. You build up a little bit of a trust and a camaraderie, hopefully.” 

And in the end: “Yes, we have to take care of the community, and that’s our focus, our priority, is to take care of the citizens of Carbondale, and those that are travelling through and visiting, but we can’t forget to take care of each other,” Williams said.