The National FOP is guided by an overarching mission of improving the lives and working conditions of police officers. Under this mandate, the NFOP recognizes the importance of officer wellbeing. In addition, it is the mission of the Division of Wellness Services to provide services and programs that are relevant to our members’ needs and to provide a platform where members can be heard. In 2018, the NFOP began a practice of surveying its membership of law enforcement officers across the U.S. to gather information about officer health. The organization’s initial survey was a short pulse check undertaken in collaboration with NBC News Channel 4 in New York City for the purpose of a media segment on officer mental health. The survey highlighted the concerns and challenges being faced by members of law enforcement with respect to mental health and wellbeing in the profession. Given the response rate to the survey, this initial nationwide survey clearly indicated that officers wanted to talk more about mental health and the impact of both the police workplace and the profession more holistically on their overall wellbeing. Anecdotally, officers indicated that their viewpoints had long been a missing part of the conversation and they wanted to talk more about their working conditions and their experiences of working a law enforcement career. Given this, the NFOP began directing more resources toward the development of wellness initiatives for its members and committed to the practice of surveying members biennially to track and identify changes in officer experiences and to recognize new and emerging trends that impact officer wellness. Buoyed by the success and impact of the first national survey conducted in collaboration with NBC News, the NFOP has committed to surveying its members every two years about critical issues in policing and wellness. The National FOP has partnered with Griffith University in Australia to develop the Biennial Critical Issues in Policing Survey series.
FOP Biennial Critical Issues in Policing Survey
Recognizing the importance of research applicable to the real world, the Officer Wellness Committee leads the development of the FOP Biennial Critical Issues in Policing Survey and has partnered with Griffith University for survey development and analysis. Working in conjunction with other National FOP committees, the Officer Wellness Committee aims to keep a finger on the pulse of the working and living experiences of officers nationwide. The FOP Critical Issues in Policing Survey gives members an anonymous venue for sharing their experiences and needs, while providing important feedback for informing the field.
The 2023 Biennial Critical Issues in Policing Survey is now open! If you are an active or retired member of law enforcement, we want to hear from you! Please contact the Division of Wellness Services at officerwellness@fop.net to participate in this survey. We encourage individuals, local lodges and police agencies to participate in helping us ensure that the voices of our officers are heard.
Report on FOP/NBC Survey of Police Officer Mental and Behavioral Health
In the summer and fall of 2018, the Fraternal Order of Police partnered with NBC New York to conduct an important survey of our members with the aim of learning more about the critical stress that officers face on the job. We wanted to gauge the level of difficulties officers are facing, often struggling in silence, and we wanted to bring light to these issues not only to raise awareness, but to learn how we can best help our nation’s heroes remain well and productive in their lives and careers. Our survey asked questions about the nature of problems generated by our profession, both in our lives and in the workplace. It included questions about mental health education and services offered to members and inquired about which services help the most. The survey also helped to identify any roadblocks to use of these services.
