Overview

The Wilmington Police Department has announced the launch of a Wellness Program, which is designed to support sworn and civilian members – and retirees – of the department and to extend resources to promote overall health and wellness.

In July 2024, Chief Wilfredo Campos designated six police officers to serve as Wellness Officers, and to help implement and build on this new program. These officers will remain in their current assignments – whether in the Uniformed Services Division or a specialized unit – and will continue to be responsible for their regular duties.

“When I was appointed to serve as Chief of Police, two of my primary objectives were to further develop our efforts to promote the health and wellness of our community, and to do the same for our employees and retirees,” said Chief Campos. “Earlier this year, we launched our Partners in Care program to pair patrol officers with mental health clinicians to support needs that exist in our community, and now I am proud to announce the launch of our Wellness Program to help support each of our employees as they work to serve our community.”

The WPD Wellness Program has been developed after an extensive review of model initiatives in partner law enforcement agencies across the country, and includes the following primary objectives:

• To link resources that can help support current and retired members – sworn and civilian – of the Wilmington Police Department in response to personal or professional challenges
• To designate Wellness Officers, who will receive specialized training and can be available to members in need
• To regularly assess and identify resources available in regards to health and wellness, and seek new resources to help support member needs
• To provide training and/or training opportunities to members regarding mental, physical and financial health and wellness

Wellness Officers will begin visiting roll calls and platoon trainings to spread the word about the program. Additionally, the team will reach out to officers following critical incidents along with our Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Peer Support Team.

“We have seen successful Wellness Programs in police departments throughout the United States, and we look forward to implementing our program and following these examples,” said Chief Campos. “Our dedicated police officers and civilian employees work each day to serve our community, and it is imperative that we take steps to ensure their health and wellbeing.”

Earlier in 2024, the department also launched a mobile application available to current employees and retirees. The application, developed in coordination with Lighthouse Health and Wellness, provides free access to a wide range of resources to support members, as well as their families.