by David Frattare When I proposed the topic for this article back in November of 2019, I was soaking up the sun in San Diego looking forward to a wonderful 2020, anchored by my son’s senior year of high school and a once-in-a-lifetime mission trip to Africa with my daughter.  What we got instead was…

by Jean McAllister, MSW All of the wellness research identifies the presence and use of social support as the most effective tool for protecting wellness when people work with or are exposed to seriously traumatic material. Many of us are aware of this and focus on making sure we stay connected to our team members…

By Michael Sullivan As law enforcement professionals our world is colored by our experiences at work. While you may not even be aware of it, the job does influence your relationship with your spouse or significant other.  You drive through your village, town, or city and see an intersection where you handled a fatal accident,…

by Alan K. Flora “ICAC is the toughest job in law enforcement.”  “No one should have to see what we see.”  “The weight of this job is almost unbearable.”  “There is more to do than we can ever possibly get done.”  These are all statements that I’ve heard time and time again. Members of my…

by David Frattare Front-line supervision reminds me of the garbage masher scene in Star Wars when Luke, Han, Chewie and Princess Leia are about to be crushed by two immense steel walls closing in on them from either side. No matter how high they climb up the pile of garbage, the walls continue to close…

by Alan Flora Some days are better than others, that’s just the way life goes. But so much of our happiness and success is determined by our daily attitudes. One person might begin each morning with enthusiasm, ready to take on the world and make great things happen. Meanwhile, another person is like, “Meh, I’m…

by Beth Medina CEO of The Innocent Justice Foundation My sister made me a bracelet last week. It’s a simple, small beaded bracelet made of colors of my choosing. Because I am a Harry Potter fan and proud of it, I asked for the colors of the Gryffindor House. As she fashioned the bracelet, she…

by Senior Chaplain David Frattere Director of Ohio State Investigations/ICAC Task Force Commander In his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, St. Paul writes that they must “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil” and prepare for a “battle against the spiritual forces of…

by Jean G. McAllister, MSW Resilience is the ability to bounce back, or successfully deal with stressful or traumatic experience, without experiencing lasting harm. It is the quality that protects us from being seriously harmed by the work we do with child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the people who harm children. One of the…

by Matthew Kail When I started my law enforcement career twenty-three years ago, I did what every officer fresh out of the academy did, handled your calls for service, was the first on scene to witness horrific incidents, and tried to solve people’s problems in twenty minutes, before the next “hot” call was dispatched.  Officer…