U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) continued her ongoing support to bolster mental health resources for police officers in her district during a Jan. 6 roundtable she hosted at the Milton Community Center in Ballston Spa, N.Y.
“It was an honor to host a roundtable with local law enforcement in my district yesterday to highlight the importance of increased mental health resources,” Rep. Stefanik said on Tuesday. “Our law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect NY-21 families, and it is my job to hear directly from them so I can work for their best interests in Congress.”
The congresswoman was joined by New York State Sen. Daphne Jordan (R); Austin Glickman, president of Law Enforcement Officers Weekend; representatives from the New York State Police; and sheriffs from several area counties, among many other officials.
“My office [is] 100% committed to advocating on their behalf,” she said in a Monday Facebook posting.
The roundtable participants discussed the importance of mental health resources for police departments, specifically for suicide prevention and PTSD, as well as providing support to the families of police officers who died or were injured in the line of duty, according to information provided by Rep. Stefanik’s staff.
In New York, police recruits receive hundreds of hours of extensive training, yet only about 16 hours is dedicated to mental health, according to the information, which noted that Rep. Stefanik and the other participants learned that peer-to-peer mental health programs may be the most effective for law enforcement.
“I’m grateful we had a productive discussion on the issues most important to our great law enforcement officers, and I will continue to support and advocate for them in Congress,” said Rep. Stefanik.
Also during the roundtable, the 2019 Law Enforcement Officers Weekend organization recognized Rep. Stefanik with an award for her continued support and advocacy to the men and women of law enforcement.