By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON — Employees at the Police Department will now have access to the CordicoShield Law Enforcement Wellness Application after the City Council unanimously approved a partnership.
The one-year subscription costs $6,000 — with a 40 percent discount Police Chief Mike Oakley worked out — which will be paid from the federal forfeiture account.
“I believe at the Police Department we’re just way behind in offering any kind of options for overall wellness to our officers,” Oakley said Dec. 6. “After they deal with trauma during certain events on the job there’s not a lot of options there apart from the officers coming to Deputy Chief Jake Davis or myself and asking if we can arrange a meeting with a psychiatrist — that’s hard for an officer to do. They’re proud people and there’s a concern of appearing unfit for duty.”
The pricing was based on up to 35 sworn officers, but access will be available for all department employees, including sworn officers, retired officers, civilian employees and employees’ spouses or significant others.
According to the document Oakley provided the city council, the CordicoShield app is pre-loaded with many resources, one-touch dial or text to Copline, Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Crisis Text Line; self-assessments — alcoholism, depression, PTSD and informational articles and coping strategies — healthy eating, family support; emotional health; financial fitness; peer support training manual; articles and videos by Dr. Kevin Gilmartin, author of “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement;” and guided meditations.
“There’s an option out there,” Oakley said. “This CordicoShield wellness app, it’s designed by law enforcement specifically for law enforcement. It’s an application the officers can download on their phones.That way any help they could need would be right at their fingertips.
“I think it will be huge. It will be right at their fingertips. It’d be total anonymity. There’s no tracking as far as who’s accessing the app or what they’re doing with the app, and I think it would be just great for our people.”
Usage of the application is unlimited. Oakley and Davis will have access to a dashboard which will show them how often the application is being used or how much it’s being used, but not by whom.
Following the one-year partnership, Oakley said a determination will be made if the application is worth continuing and he could seek funds in next year’s budget to continue.
The document says the app can be tailored specifically for the Trenton Police Department.
The “Therapy Finder” and “Chaplain Support” sections can include vetted therapists and clergy members in the area, according to the document.
Any other information deemed relevant or important could be sent to employees through “push” notifications by department administration.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)