In the 35 years Bill Owensby spent as a police officer in Indianapolis, certain images nested in his mind. There are things people aren’t supposed to see, he said. A nine-year-old dying after a bullet to the head. A teenager taking his last breath after a car wreck.
Owensby spent much of his career in patrol and K-9 work. The horrific sights were technically part of what he signed up for.
“It was my job, and you just do it,” said the 61-year-old, now president of the state Fraternal Order of Police.
He sought counseling after traumatic experiences and encouraged other officers to do the same, but he’s also noticed psychiatric help has a stigma in what he called a traditionally “macho” line of work, he said. Meanwhile, studies show law enforcement officers face high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.
A new piece of U.S. Senate legislation backed by a bipartisan group that includes both senators from Indiana seeks to expand on the mental health resources available to law enforcement officers.
The bill, introduced earlier this month by Sens. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, and Todd Young, R-Indiana, and supported by other senators from both parties, would create the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which would put grant funding toward the creation of mental health programs.
Funding would facilitate the creation of peer counseling programs and help mental health care providers build programs specifically for officers, among other functions, according to a press release from Donnelly and Young’s offices.
The bill has drawn support from law enforcement agencies across the country, which includes the FOP and the National Association of Police Organizations. Beyond its potential practical effects, Owensby said he sees it as a symbolic step toward the de-stigmatization of mental health care within law enforcement.
“The psychology of a police officer, male or female, is independent, self-relying,” he said. “They’re trained to take control of any situation they encounter and to do it instantly.”
That mindset can extend to unwillingness to accept help in confronting mental health challenges, he said. Though he believes the stigma has subsided somewhat over the past decade or so, he still sees it as an uphill battle.
Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams said BPD has hoped to remove some of that stigma by putting standards in place for when officers should seek counseling. Officers involved in shootings, for example, are offered peer-to-peer counseling through an Indiana State Police program, and they’re required to speak to a psychiatrist beforturning to duty.
“It’s typical to mandate some counseling so people who need it can get it and not face the stigma,” he said.
Part of the challenge of maintaining mental well-being within law enforcement stems from the fact that officers may face different kinds of trauma in the line of duty, Kellams said. They respond to situations in which people have been victimized, but they may also come into contact with dangerous criminals, in situations in which they too could become victims.
“We get to see a wide variety of horrors,” he said.
Kellams said BPD is working to expand its mental health services possibly by establishing its own peer-to-peer counseling program.
Mental health legislation could also open the door to more frank conversations about uncomfortable, often ignored topics, including PTSD and the “huge elephant in the room” of police suicide, Owensby said.
Owensby noted the effectiveness of officers helping each other know when to focus on their mental well-being, as he tried to in the line of duty.
“I worked on the street, I worked alongside these officers, and I could stand up and say, ‘Look, there was a time I needed to talk to someone about the images going on in my head, and it helped,’” he said.
