Blaine Police Department gets wellness room, gym with state grant

Blaine Police Department now has fitness and wellness rooms at its station, thanks to a state grant focused on promoting officer physical and emotional health.

The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission awarded the police department $30,000 to renovate two rooms at its station and provide counseling services. Officers began using the rooms at the beginning of December.

The police department’s wellness room, which models a counseling office, was once an evidence room. Officer Jeremiah Leland, who serves as the department’s wellness liaison, used input from other Blaine officers about where they would like to decompress after a traumatic call to design the room.

The former evidence room’s white walls and lockers were transformed into a space with dimmed lighting, an electric fireplace and two armchairs.

“We have a lot of newer officers so if one of the newer officers experiences a hard call they may have not been exposed to, it can be overwhelming,” Leland said. “This serves as a good opportunity for someone to come in and think about what they went through and make sure they have their mind and emotions in check before taking more calls.”

The police department purchased gym equipment to fill a space formerly used as an auxiliary communications service radio room. The room contains an elliptical, weight machine and other workout equipment.

“It encourages a healthier lifestyle, which is important,” Leland said. “A lot of what officers do is active but only when they’re doing those things. The rest of our job is very sedentary.”

Each room cost about $10,000, Blaine police chief Donnell Tanksley said during the December 11 Blaine City Council meeting, adding that the remaining funds would go toward counseling sessions for officers.

Officer wellness rooms are a new concept to policing, Tanksley said.

This is the second officer wellness grant to which Tanksley has applied. The police department also received $50,000 last year from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, after the state legislature gave the commission funding for officer wellness programs.

Susan Rogel, grants and outreach program manager at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, said the commission received funding in 2022 to kick start the programs, and then received $3 million total to distribute grants in 2023 and 2024.

The police department’s first grant went toward an educational series led by local mental health professionals, five private counseling sessions and gym memberships. Officers were also given Fitbit watches, supplements and psychology books.

Prior to the funding, the police department didn’t have money or space to address officer health other than crisis training, Tanksley previously told The Northern Light. Leland said officers began having more conversations around their wellbeing after attending the education series earlier this year.

“For far too many decades we have failed to understand what officers face on a daily basis that’s not normal for most people,” Leland said. “Without a way to process all of that trauma we are exposed to, it can develop in unhealthy ways that can lead to officer suicide, burnout and other things that are not only damaging to the officer, but are also damaging to the community.”