Inside Our Impact – July

The National Policing Institute team proudly presents Inside Our Impact, a newsletter dedicated to sharing NPI’s stories and those who make our work possible. Each issue highlights some of NPI’s research or projects and shares insights into how our dedication to excellence benefits you and your community.

How NPI is Identifying Organizational Stress to Enhance Officer Wellness

Behind every badge is a human being navigating the pressures of law enforcement and the systems that shape their daily duties. While many know about the dangers officers face on the street, fewer realize the toll taken by internal, organizational stress—things like administrative pressure, inconsistent support, departmental culture, and relentless job demands. Despite the prevalence and impact of these organizational stressors, no broad, theory-based model currently exists to explain how such stress develops, is moderated, and leads to specific outcomes. That’s why NPI, through the National Institute of Justice, is conducting a vital study: Adverse Impacts of Organizational Stress on Officer Health and Wellness. This research aims to uncover how these stressors impact officers’ well-being and what can be done to change that.

The study takes a thoughtful and evidence-based approach, creating a detailed model that links organizational stress to health, performance, and wellness outcomes. By identifying the stressors that most affect officers—and testing solutions proposed by officers and supervisors themselves—this work has the power to inform real, practical change. Imagine an agency where policies don’t just manage performance, but actively support the mental health and wellness of every officer. This research brings us closer to that future.

“We’re not just looking at what the stressors are—we’re addressing how they work, who they impact most, and what officers, supervisors, and leaders can do about it,” said Dr. Karen L. Amendola, the study’s Principal Investigator. According to Dr. Maria Valdovinos Olson, the study’s Co-Principal Investigator, “This research will offer practical solutions and guide agencies toward more supportive environments.”

Agencies can support this study by providing administrative data, participating in focus groups, and sharing the findings through professional and research conferences. NPI also offers direct consulting services, where our experts facilitate an organizational stress assessment in an agency, identify mitigation strategies, and evaluate the impact of those strategies.

“This is a significant step forward in understanding how to better protect the health and resilience of those who protect our communities,” Dr. Amendola added. “By identifying stress at its source and learning how to address it, we can create healthier, more effective law enforcement organizations.”

Donors play a key role and serve as an invaluable partner by funding expanded research and technical assistance. Together, we can turn research into action and build a healthier, more sustainable future for the officers who serve our communities.

 
Learn more and find out how you can contribute to this important work

National Law Enforcement Roadway Safety (NLERS) Program: Training that focuses on mitigating ‘preventable risk’

Safety training is a priority in every law enforcement agency, but one area that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves is roadway safety. According to data collected by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 488 law enforcement officers were killed on the roadways from 2015-2024. This includes 331 officers killed in motor vehicle collisions and 157 officers killed in struck-by incidents.

“Roadway-related fatalities and injuries are arguably the most preventable, so if we’re looking to move the needle on safety and wellness, we need to be focusing on the most preventable risk that officers are facing,” said Brett Cowell, senior program manager at the National Policing Institute (NPI). He oversees the National Law Enforcement Roadway Safety (NLERS) Program, a collaborative effort with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Cowell has always had a passion for officer safety and wellness, which brought him to NPI. His experience as a volunteer first responder for his local fire and rescue department really drew him to NLERS.

“I’m routinely operating on the roadside, so I have some subject matter expertise and a vested interest in responder safety,” Cowell said. “It was a good fit and the focus aligned with my interests.”

NPI provides a suite of no-cost training, technical assistance, and resources to local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies to prevent officer injuries and fatalities from officer-involved collisions and struck-by incidents. The core training suite consists of three courses: Roadway Safety Executive Session, Roadway Safety Patrol Officer Course, and Roadway Safety Train-the-Trainer Workshop.

“Officers sometimes think, ‘I drive all the time. I don’t need training on how to drive,’ but there are some fundamentals that need to be refreshed, or you’ll get complacent, and things will happen,” Cowell said.

The evidence-based courses provide attendees with actionable steps, skills, and resources to improve officer safety on the roadways. They can be offered either in-person or virtually. There is also a Roadway Safety Resource Toolkit on the website to help agencies develop or modify policy, provide additional trainings to officers, and change organizational culture to improve officer safety on the roadways.

“Law enforcement is always going to be dangerous, and there’s no eliminating all of the risk, but you should be mitigating as much as you possibly can,” Cowell said.

“We’ll help an agency with whatever problem they’re trying to address or whatever implementation challenge they face through policy or resource development or specialized training,” said Cowell. “That’s all provided at no cost. It’s on a request basis and customized to whatever the agency needs at the time.”

Meet NPI Senior Program Manager, Brett Cowell, M.A.

Brett earned a master’s degree in Criminology, Law, and Society from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in Finance, with a minor in Leadership Studies, from Virginia Tech.

In his role with the National Policing Institute (NPI), Brett provides comprehensive project management for a portfolio of national training and technical assistance projects focused on preventing officer injuries and fatalities and increasing organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

 

If you liked this issue, and want more, subscribe to Inside Our Impact here. To learn more about how to support our work, policinginstitute.org/support-our-work.

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