Police chiefs from throughout county partner to create peer support team
The Walworth County Executive Law Enforcement Association recently announced it is providing $3,000 in order to fully fund a first round of training for county law enforcement personnel in peer support.
WCELEA is a county law enforcement association comprised of 18 law enforcement agencies as members, along with numerous other county entities and partners as associate members.
Law enforcement agencies operating at their best allows officers, deputies and troopers to take care of each other and better serve their respective communities. A county peer support team will enable members to better identify issues and understand how to handle situations when they are observed early on in the process.
Members of the team will be specifically trained to observe and intervene with issues such as anger, alcohol and drug problems, depression, marital and relationship concerns, post-traumatic stress symptoms, suicidal ideation and more.
WCELEA President and Whitewater Police Chief Aaron M. Raap shared that county law enforcement executives are in the early stages of forming a countywide peer support team.
“Perhaps now more than ever, officers are required to be operating at their very best, on both a personal and professional level,” Raap said.
“In order to achieve this, peer support training and the creation of a peer support team is critical,” he said.
City of Delavan Police Chief James Hansen and City of Lake Geneva Police Chief Michael Rasmussen are the driving force behind the formation of the county peer support team, Raap said.
“With their knowledge, experience and passion, I know that this team will prove beneficial to many within our agencies and our communities for years to come,” Raap said.
The other WCELEA officers are: vice-president and treasurer, Chief Ryan Milligan, Village of Walworth; secretary, Chief Justin Timm, Village of Williams Bay.
The City of Whitewater provides efficient and high-quality services, which support living, learning, playing and working in an exceptional community.
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