CALDWELL, Texas — Burleson County reserve Sheriff's deputy Shawn Edwards has worked in law enforcement since the late 1990s. He’s experienced a lot in all those years, as have his colleagues. Sometimes the memories made during the line of duty have been too much to handle alone.
“That stigma is ‘hey law enforcement officers are held to a higher standard,' which is not true," Edwards said. "We are all just people. We have higher qualities we are looking for, but that’s it. We don’t have capes, we’re not superheroes.”
Edwards shared that just this year alone, he’s lost two police officer friends to suicide. As post-traumatic stress, depression and other mental health concerns spread across the thin blue line, Edwards - who has specialized in mental health-based policing for many years - has joined a new state initiative put in place this year by Texas legislators. It’s the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network, and it's all about cop-to-cop connections.
“... Having that peer that you can call and say 'hey, I’ve had a crummy day today,'" Edwards said. "And [it's about] finding some positive options for you to help work through and process that day.”
The Peer Network is available for download as an app. Edwards explained that officers can, at any time, use the app to be anonymously directed to another active duty police officer across the state who has volunteered their time to be a listening ear.
So far over 40 officers have already used the app to reach out to a peer for support. One of those seeking help was Dep. Edwards himself.
“I had an individual who took their life by suicide and working that call... I had a peer who, we just talked about and processed and made sure that I was okay," he said.
Edwards feels that too often in police culture, officers feel pressure to 'suck it up' and be tough; to refrain from showing emotion, and not to take time for healing after enduring a high-stress situation.
“Breaking that wall of stigma down is that huge barrier that prevents us from getting help," he said.
Edwards recently took a regional director position with the new program, currently overseeing the central and northern portions of Texas. He encourages all active duty officers, as well as firefighters and anyone involved in emergency response or criminal justice, to visit the Peer Network website, hosted by the state through the University of North Texas' Caruth Police Institute: Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network (untdallas.edu).