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Seattle police wellness unit uses dogs to help officers' mental health

"This expectation that the job is not going to wear on you is unrealistic, and we need to do something to help people take care of themselves,” said Sgt. Didier.

SEATTLE — Service dogs are the newest tool Seattle police is using to address retention and mental health within the department.

The department’s approach to officer well-being involves incorporating canines, Buffalo and Otis. The dogs are recent additions and serve a serious purpose, according to Sgt. Matt Didier.

"This expectation that the job is not going to wear on you is unrealistic, and we need to do something to help people take care of themselves,” said Didier.

As of May 2022, the number of trained and deployable police officers in the department dropped to 954, the lowest in more than 30 years.

"You are losing officers and losing officers to you know, not feeling valued or respected. But you're also trying to make sure that you maintain a healthy environment because officers are working extra shifts,” said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.

Chief Diaz says that’s where the department's unit devoted to officer wellness comes in. Last year, three facility dogs were added to the program.

"A facility dog is kind of like a comfort dog, but they're designed rather than for just one individual person for large groups of people,” said Didier.

"One of our dogs is in our sexual assault unit and is able to provide the victim support when we're going to interview people,” said Chief Diaz.

The dogs were donated by America's VetDogs. The canines are available to visit precincts and support police officers when needed.

"The average person will experience one or two truly traumatic events throughout their lives. You know, police officers, specifically patrol, will have the possibility of experiencing like 800 traumatic events,” said Sgt. Didier.

The way the department responds after those events is evolving, according to Chief Diaz.

"I mean, I've been on 26 years. And you know, it was kind of like just to suck it up and deal with that situation, and now we're in an environment where we recognize we have to be doing more,” he said.

The Wellness Unit will continue to expand. Chief Diaz says he plans to add a command-level position to the unit this year.



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