MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes revealed Wednesday that his agency has received two grants; one aimed at expanding mental health services and another to enhance collaboration between community police boards.
The first grant provides $175,000 to create more mental health and wellness programs, explained City of Madison Employee Assistance Program Manager Tresa Martinez.
“Officers who utilize support and trauma treatment along with supportive programs focused on resilience, self-regulation, coping skills, cognitive behavioral change, and relaxation have shown to have reduced levels of stress, negative emotions, and depression,” Martinez said.
The grant will also help fund the creation of a wellness coordinator position. Martinez said that the person in this role will work with the existing mental health and emotional health programs already in place through the city’s EAP and insurance-covered resources. The individual would also provide more focused programming and enhance the skills of the City’s Peer Support Team.
The second grant, also set at $175,000, will help create a Community Policing Advisory Board in each of Madison’s six police districts. Community members will have a say in the community-policing efforts of MPD, which Capt. Mike Tye noted will help increase communication on outreach activities and other collaborative efforts.
“The key idea of the project is to allow for community members to drive the activity of MPD by providing direction on the type of community engagement they would like to see from the Police Department,” Tye said.
The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice through the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program.
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