TEWKSBURY – Police Chief Ryan Columbus is pleased to announce that the Tewksbury Police Department participated in innovative new training aimed at helping officers deal with the trauma they face on the job, and to improve interactions with community members as a result.
Rewire4 Training, offered by Roca, in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, is a flexible, trauma-informed approach to cognitive behavioral skill building that helps officers deal with the trauma they face on the job and to improve interactions with community members by helping officers stay focused, read themselves, and examine their thinking and behavior.
Unlike traditional training which focuses on tactics, this training addresses the way officers react in the moment and teaches officers to understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
The training will help officers understand the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that result from experiencing trauma, that in turn create unhelpful cycles, and it helps officers identify their cycles and utilize skills to disrupt the unhelpful ones, making them safer and more in control on and off the job.
“Our police officers experience a large amount of trauma on the job. This training will help our officers better understand their own emotional regulation, teaching them skills to remain mindful, thoughtful, and in control at all times,” said Chief Columbus.
The training will help officers who are often exposed to trauma to understand their emotions, and to be aware that what they think, feel and do are intrinsically connected.