Three Ohio law enforcement officers provide testimonials about
Blue Courage in a
video released at the Ohio Attorney General’s 2016 Law Enforcement Conference in October.
Tricia Knoles, a community resource officer with the Kent State Police Department, Sgt. John Godwin of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Matthew Vanyo of the Olmsted Township Police Department, talk in the video about how their lives were changed by the program.
Blue Courage, a two-day leadership development workshop, covers topics such as police culture, resilience, and positive psychology, is part of the basic and advanced training required of Ohio’s law enforcement officers. The program was developed by Michael Nila, a former Aurora, Ill., police commander with support from the U.S. Justice Department, to teach law enforcement officers how to manage stress, increase engagement with others, and to fight cynicism.
In the video, produced by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Knoles talks about how the Blue Courage program encouraged her to take better care of herself.
“We are so used to helping people and giving to other people, but we’re not taking care of ourselves the way we need to be,” she said. “So Blue Courage just makes you more of a well-rounded officer and person.”
Sgt. John Godwin of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office experienced a transformation after taking the course. He began taking better care of himself and lost 60 pounds.
“(Blue Courage) made me realize I needed to be healthier. With the stressors that we deal with every day — the lack of sleep, the diet, limited time to exercise — you need to find time for those things. When I look in the mirror now, I see a healthier person.”
Officers are exposed to the worst of society, Vanyo said, and that can take a toll.
“The violence that human beings inflict on one another on a regular basis, you start to question people and your belief in people,” he said. “(Blue Courage) renewed my belief in the vital importance of being a law enforcement professional and actually reinvigorated me as a law enforcement executive.
“Every police officer, no matter what year of tenure they’re in, they will come away with something from the Blue Courage program, that, I believe, they will carry with them for the rest of their careers and the rest of their lives.”
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