TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (WFTS) — The Tarpon Springs Police Department is taking a proactive approach to officer wellness by hosting specialized mental health training led by a trauma expert who was among the first responders to the Parkland school shooting.
Richard Best, president of Warrior Spirit Health and Wellness and a former law enforcement officer, conducted the two-day training program at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Best, who responded to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2017, has since transitioned into mental health counseling and now dedicates his work to helping first responders.
"When you're exposed to a critical incident, that wellness is very complex, from the top on down," Best said. "We talk about that, and we navigate ways to improve ourselves, build up our resiliency, and lead better and be better."
The training comes at a critical time when more police officers die by suicide each year than in the line of duty. Officer Larry Bird, who participated in the program, said the department's investment in mental health resources represents a significant cultural shift.
"Things obviously over time change. Unfortunately, almost 11 years ago, we lost an officer in the line of duty, and myself being one of them, people not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say, not knowing who to reach out to," Bird said.
Bird says he appreciates how the training helps officers understand that seeking help is acceptable and necessary.
"They just bring it right out in front of you and jump out in front of the problem and make sure to let you know that it is okay to ask questions, to reach out, it's okay to feel how you're feeling, just to get out and talk about it," he said.
The program focuses on officer wellness following critical incidents and addresses the complex nature of mental health support throughout police departments. Best noted that officers often enter law enforcement with good intentions but face daily exposure to trauma that can take a toll over time.
"You can come in with the best of intentions, where everybody will tell the hiring manager, I signed up because I want to help somebody," Best said. "What ends up happening is you're met daily, every single day, with people lying to you, trying to hurt you, harm you, the cynicism you meet people at their worst, so it's natural for that to take a toll on him."
Best's personal experience at Parkland shaped his mission to help other first responders. Having children himself, he said the incident completely changed his priorities and focus.
"When you start realizing that certain incidents, certain exposures, certain traumas, are taking an effect on you outside of work — as well as at work — when you can get help and you can figure things out and you could fix things before it's too late," Best said.
The training received strong support from department leadership, with the entire command staff attending the presentations. Best praised this top-down approach as essential for creating cultural change.
"When they actually believe in it, when they invest in their officers, when they invest in their wellness, when they're vulnerable themselves and they speak up and they share, it ignites the fire," Best said.
Bird acknowledged that asking for help remains challenging for many officers but said programs like this are making a difference.
"I was that guy not that long ago, when I first started like you, just like you said, it was something that just wasn't done, was something that wasn't talked about," Bird said. "Now it's okay to do it. It's fine, it's normal. You're not gonna be looked at any different."
The Police Benevolent Association has also embraced the mental health initiative, distributing challenge coins with QR codes that link to mental health resources. The coins carry the message "first to respond, last to ask for help" on one side and provide immediate access to support services on the other.
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