TCOLE advisory group backs early‑intervention checkpoints, recommends training, letters and resource guide

Members of a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) advisory subcommittee on officer wellness discussed a package of recommendations aimed at expanding early mental‑health intervention, improving access to assessment and counseling, and giving agencies simple tools to respond after incidents.

Chief Deputy Jimmy Jackson, presiding, said the checkpoints program Chief Ramirez used in Fort Worth is intended “to get involved in the front end” and to bridge the gap between single critical incidents and the long‑term trauma that can build over time. The group discussed four primary recommendations: add an informational letter and attached assessment resource for licensees arrested for DWI (with an accompanying letter to supervisors); publish a statewide resource guide for agencies and licensees; promote and host the 4‑hour Finding Wellness training as a required step toward basic proficiency for new licensees; and monitor and publicize available eGrants for first‑responder mental‑health work.

Why it matters: committee members pointed to recent officer suicides and to legislative funding that could support the work. Committee members said both the House and Senate budget proposals include $6,000,000 for first‑responder mental health, and that the governor’s office will distribute grants through an eGrants program. Staff reported that the eGrants application window opens in December and closes in February for the 2026 cycle, with minimum awards starting at $10,000.

On the letters: staff explained the proposed letter to arrested licensees would be targeted initially at DWI cases and would include an attachment describing assessment options and counseling. “We can’t require them to do that, but certainly, we can prompt them and give them the opportunity,” a staff member explained. The committee discussed how best to route the attachment so licensees can get an anonymous, no‑cost initial assessment when available, rather than appearing to mandate specific providers.

On training placement and scope: the subcommittee reviewed a 4‑hour Finding Wellness course and debated where to place it in the TCOLE proficiency pathway. The working proposal is to make the course a “third leg” required to reach basic proficiency after academy and FTO reporting, so new licensees would be required once early in their careers but could retake it online later. “This change in culture comes from the top down,” said Dr. Kevin Smith, urging leadership buy‑in to shift stigma around help‑seeking.

Members discussed whether training for agency administrators and supervisors is also needed to reduce stigma and to change how supervisors respond after incidents. Several members urged that the course be available to telecommunicators, corrections staff and small agencies, and that an instructor resource guide accompany an online module so agencies can adapt material locally.

Resource guide and outreach: the committee asked staff to assemble a short, plain‑language guide for chiefs and small agencies outlining initial steps after a critical incident, low‑cost/no‑cost options, and links to the peer network, Blue Help/Blue H.E.L.P.‑type resources and the governor’s eGrants details. Commissioners’ notebook deadlines were discussed; staff said materials for the June commission meeting would need to be filed by May 21. The subcommittee agreed to draft a consolidated recommendation document for the full commission and to circulate it for comment before the next subcommittee meeting.

Public comment: Jackie Goodlow, a member of the public, told the committee the checkpoint system “should be used not just to identify deficiencies, but also to recognize when officers are in need of support” and urged embedding trauma‑informed care, peer support and confidential counseling into any checkpoint structure.

Next steps and meeting logistics: the group agreed staff would draft and circulate an overview and recommendations for review; the subcommittee set a follow‑up meeting for May 15 at 9 a.m. and planned to bring the final package to the TCOLE commission meeting on June 12. No formal rule changes were adopted by the committee during the session; members identified items for staff and for the full commission to consider.

Ending: committee members emphasized making materials accessible to very small agencies that lack personnel or budgets to develop their own programs, and asked staff to include links and short video/testimonial options that agencies could use for roll call or local training.