Indiana Public Safety Peer Support

10/11/2026

We talk to dispatch, other stations, and incoming crews. We know how to tell somebody when help is needed.
But when it’s us struggling, finding the words can be harder.
“I need to talk” is enough to start. Let somebody answer your call, too.

10/10/2026

The helmet color doesn’t matter. Neither does your rank.
We all carry things the gear can’t protect us from.
Take care of yourself, check on your people, and reach out when you need support.

10/05/2026

09/26/2026

We spend a lot of time trying to fix people after they’ve checked out.

Maybe we should spend more time noticing what made them check out in the first place.

Was it the workload?

The constant criticism?

Feeling overlooked?

Watching standards apply differently depending on who you are?

Never hearing when they did something right?

People usually don’t wake up one morning and stop caring.

It builds.

And if we’re paying attention, we can usually see it before it gets there.

Retention starts long before somebody turns in a resignation.

09/13/2026

September is Su***de Prevention Month.
And while we need to talk about the people who are hurting enough to believe su***de is their only way out, we also cannot forget the survivors left behind.

The spouses. The kids. The parents. The brothers and sisters.
The coworkers and crews who replay every conversation and every missed sign, wondering what they could have done differently.
They need support too.

They need someone to check in after everybody else has gone back to normal. They need a place to talk without being judged, rushed, or told to "just be strong." They need to know that grief after su***de is messy, angry, confusing, and heavy-and none of that makes them weak.
If you are carrying this, you do not have to carry it alone.

Check on your people. Ask the hard question. Sit with someone in the ugly part. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
For our public-safety family: reach out. It's confidential, it's free, and there is no judgment here.
If someone is in immediate danger, call or text 988 or call 911

07/27/2026

07/22/2026

We have to do better and start talking

07/20/2026

When a police officer is asked, “How are you doing?” the answer is often, “I’m fine.” Those two words can carry a much deeper meaning than people realize. It did for me, for years after my critical incident. For many officers, including me, saying “I’m fine” becomes a habit, a response shaped by years of training, expectations, and a culture that teaches them to remain strong during the most difficult moments.

Police officers are regularly exposed to trauma, violence, death, suffering, and situations most people will never experience. They are expected to make critical decisions under extreme pressure while protecting others. Over time, some officers learn to hide their own emotions because they believe showing vulnerability may be viewed as weakness, or they worry about how others may perceive them.

Behind the words “I’m fine” there may be an officer carrying the weight of a traumatic call, a critical incident, anxiety, depression, guilt, grief, or struggles they have never shared with anyone. Many officers become experts at helping others while struggling to ask for help themselves. For years after my critical incident I put everyone else first and didnt take care of my poor mental and physical health.

Changing this mindset starts with removing the stigma surrounding mental health. Being honest about struggling does not make an officer weak, it makes them human. A police officer’s greatest strength is not pretending they are unaffected; it is having the courage to recognize when they need support.

The next time an officer says, “I’m fine,” take a moment to look deeper. Ask again. Listen. Support them. Sometimes the person who spends their life protecting others needs someone to remind them that they deserve protection and support too.

By Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma Founder and Wisconsin Police Captain Adam Meyers, CPS - www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

06/15/2026

Just a little backstory of the Peer support group and how we started.