Law enforcement officers face enormous stress and mental health demands while on the job. Unfortunately, that stress can lead to burn out, PTSD, substance abuse, leaving the career and even suicide. Members of the Rotary Club of Carson City will learn how the officers in the Carson City Sheriff’s Office manage those challenges at the club’s next meeting, Tuesday, January 25th at noon. The meeting takes place in the Grand Ballroom at the Brewery Arts Center; members of the public are invited to attend.
Captain Daniel Gonzales and Detective Samantha Torres will discuss how they cope with the demands of the job, while maintaining a healthy and happy homelife. “Our department uses special techniques to de-escalate any trauma suffered by an employee,” said Carson City Sheriff, and Rotarian, Ken Furlong. “Captain Gonzales and Detective Torres will explain how officers manage to respond on a moment’s notice to tragedies in our community and still return home to their families as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred.”
Gonzales, a father of five, is an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and manages its Investigations Division. Torres, a 10-year veteran and the mother of five, is assigned to the Detectives Division after several years in the Special Enforcement unit. Both will discuss how family can often become a second priority to the demands of the job and what they and other officers do about it.
Furlong adds, “Across the country, law enforcement at all levels is recognizing the mental health demands on officers when they engage in critically dangerous and often inhumane criminal offenses day in and day out. Our administration has long been on the frontline of caring for our employees and finding the resources to combat the effects the job can have on them.”
Furlong says the pair will also talk about some of the most riveting acts of heroism that take place in a community, but are seldom spoken about publicly.
Anyone interested in attending the meeting should email carsoncitynvrotary@gmail.com. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Carson City visit www.carsonrotary.org
