Officer Recruitment & Resiliency with Ben Haiman

The Catapult Effect

In this episode, Katie Wrigley interviews Ben Haiman, the executive director for public safety and justice with the University of Virginia and former chief of staff for the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department. They discuss the challenges of police recruitment and the importance of officer resiliency.
Ben highlights the need for a shift in the recruitment process, focusing on critical thinking and a service mindset. He also emphasizes the importance of wellness programs and the need to address the stigma around seeking help. They discuss the impact of trauma on officers and the need for structural changes in the policing profession.
Takeaways:

• Police recruitment is facing challenges, with a decrease in qualified candidates and a smaller labor pool.
• The current recruitment process does not always select the most qualified candidates, but rather those who have not been eliminated.
• Officer resiliency is crucial in dealing with the high levels of stress and trauma in the policing profession.
• Wellness programs and support for mental health are essential for officers, but there is still a stigma around seeking help.
• Structural changes are needed in the policing profession to address recruitment and resiliency issues.

Resources:

• Master of Public Safety | UVA SCPS (virginia.edu)
• Training Descriptions - VALOR for Blue
• Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program (mpeap.com)
• Ben Haiman on LinkedIn
• Future Policing Institute
• The Catapult Effect Program for First Responders

Credit: Tom Giovingo, Intro & Outro, Random Voice Guy, Professional ‘Cat‘ Herder
Mixed & Managed: JohnRavenscraft.com

Disclaimer: Katie is not a medical professional and she is not qualified to diagnose any conditions. The advice and information she gives is based on her own experience and research. It does not take the place of medical advice. Always consult a medical professional first before you try anything new.