Law enforcement officials who encounter tragic and horrific events while on the job would get mental health and wellness support under a measure on its way to the governor after receiving final passage Tuesday on a 38-0 vote in the state Senate. Former police officer turned Senator Danny Carroll says “On a personal note, from being involved in a fatality accident about two years into my career, I can tell you firsthand the value of this type of program. Back during those times, there were no supports in place. You simply went to a physiatrist for an evaluation. He or she either said you were fit or you were not fit for duty and that was the end of it.”
He says that fatal accident almost ended his career, in part, because he didn’t receive helpful counseling, adding those are memories that stay with you your entire life.
At the center of the measure is post-critical incident seminar, or PCIS. It is a program established by the FBI in the 1980s and first adapted by South Carolina. Kentucky would be about the 10th state to adopt it. The initiative would be paid with donations, grants and money from the state Department of Criminal Justice Training budget. The state budget would contain no new money for the initiative.
SB 68 also contains an emergency clause, meaning it would become law upon the governors signature. The House passed HB 68 on a 95-0 vote last month.
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