Training & Education

This dynamic training explores the critical role of sleep in mental health, recovery, and peak performance, especially for first responders. Grounded in neuroscience, the session examines how disrupted sleep patterns increase vulnerability to trauma-related disorders, impair judgment, and elevate physical health risks, including cardiovascular disease. Participants will learn how to implement accessible, evidence-based interventions such as breathwork, cold exposure, movement, and circadian rhythm regulation to enhance sleep quality and stress resilience. The course also addresses the detrimental effects of alcohol and substance use on sleep architecture, mental health, and emotional regulation, providing strategies to support individuals navigating these challenges.
 

In this course, students will learn about:

a. The history of deflection
b. The science of addiction
c. Key terms and concepts
d. Law Enforcement role in deflection
e. Building a plan for deflection programming

This is part one of a four-part series. Courses can be taken individually.

To register for the course, contact your Training Manager to assign the training to you via Acadis.

In this course, students will learn:

a. Why we need diverse partnerships
b. Relationships equal mission success
c. Who should be at the table
d. Giving your partners a voice
e. Becoming servant leaders in your deflection program

This is part two of a four-part series. Courses can be taken individually.

To register for the course, contact your training manager, who will assign the training to you via Acadis.

In this course, students will learn:

a. Which deflection model serves your community needs
b. Define the mission / What will you need
c. Data collection & case management
d. Agency buy-in
e. Developing policy & procedures
f. Taking the first step

This is part three of a four-part series. Courses can be taken individually.

To register for the course, contact your Training Manager to assign the training to you via Acadis.

In this course, students will learn:

a. Documenting activity
b. Continuing and growing the collaboration
c. Identifying funding
d. Open to other ideas and approaches
e. As the problem changes so might your approach.
f. Where do we go from here.

This is part four of a four-part series. Courses can be taken individually.

To register for the course, contact your Training Manager to assign the training to you via Acadis.

SHIELD trains police officers how to be safe, healthy, and more effective when performing their duties during the overdose crisis. It is a vital resource at a time when police are being asked to do more with less, while facing high risks and reduced public support.

SHIELD's skills-based learning is delivered peer-to-peer by the SHIELD training team, which is led by a retired police chief and includes research staff at Northeastern University and public health experts. Using an interactive instructional design and customized local information, the three modules are delivered in a single session in person or by Zoom.

Module 1: Resilience. Provides key facts about stress
and burnout. Builds skills for recognizing and
problem solving to remedy the effects of vicarious
trauma, compassion fatigue, and toxic stress.

Module 2: Officer Safety. Provides essential
information about risk levels and operational safety
techniques for needlestick injuries, infectious disease
transmission, field exposure to fentanyl, overdose rescue,
and stimulant-involved encounters.

Module 3: Public Safety. Provides strategies and best
practices for improving health and safety and
reducing stress burdens through linkages with
treatment and supportive service providers.

This introductory course is designed to help you understand why Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is considered a chronic brain disease and how your interactions within the corrections setting can have a positive or negative effect for people using drugs.

You will learn to recognize behaviors that might be substance use related and how to engage with people based on those behaviors to have the best possible outcomes.

You will be introduced to community members with lived experience, and learn some of the risk factors, such as trauma, that can lead to substance use and that recovery is possible.