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The City of Bartlesville played host a major police seminar earlier this week.

Bartlesville Police Chief Tracy Roles says around 250 people from six different states attended the Blue Life Support Seminar at the Bartlesville Community Center on Monday and Tuesday. Chief Roles says 51 different law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma attended the event as well. He says they were happy to host this seminar on officer mental health and wellness.

Chief Roles says they have to continue to look for ways in which they can put their officers in positions where they can be whole, whether it be in counseling through Grand Lake Mental Health or bringing in seminars such as Blue Life Support. He says they have to continue to raise awareness about officer mental health and awareness so that law enforcement agencies everywhere aren't faced with the tragic situation where an officer feels like the only way out is to take their own life.

In 2019, there were 230 police officer suicides. Chief Roles says there were fewer officer suicides in 2020, but there were still too many. He says this is more than a self-correcting problem.

Current and former police officers gave presentations during the Blue Life Support Seminar in Bartlesville. Those officers are as follows:

Officer Tyrone Dennis

Office Tyrone Dennis is retired after serving with Atlanta PD. Officer Dennis is an expert at improving relations between the community and police. He's known for his program Clippers and Cops. He's been featured in news stories across the country.

Dan Phillips

Dan Phillips is a former U.S. Marshal. He is now Director of Responder Health, an organization that provides a confidential and full-service solutions that support first responders through stress and traumatic events.

Officer Chris Amos

Officer Chris Amos received the Medal of Valor for his heroics in a gun battle, in which he was shot twice - and still managed to return fire.

Officer Adam Davis

Former Alabama Police Officer Adam Davis has an incredible story. He is the author of several books designed to assist law enforcement: Behind the Badge, Bulletproof Marriage and others.

Officer Jimmy Meeks

Officer Jimmy Meeks is retired. Meeks is the founder of Blue Life Support. He was an officer for 35 years.

Officer Greg Stevens

Officer Greg Stevens received the Medal of Valor for stopping the first known ISIS attack on American soil. He served for 45 years as an officer.

Officer Charles Neill

Former Oklahoma Officer Charles Neill was shot in the head as he pursued a vehicle. His vehicle crashed, rolling over 14 times.

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The seminar focused on stress management, PTSD and how to mitigate it, officer resilience and sleep deprivation among other things. Chief Roles says these things used to be overlooked for many years because the unspoken rule was that officers weren't allowed to let trauma or stress affect them in a negative way, and if it did they weren't allowed to show it. He said the times have changed and it needed to change to start with in order to improve the mental state and wellness of police officers.

Chief Roles says police agencies everywhere need to do a better job of taking care of their officers. He says they need to appreciate and recognize the overall officer wellness issues they face today in a society that is tough on everyone.

There seems to be a diminished level of overall respect for our fellow man. Chief Roles says that creates certain hardships for everyone in a fast-paced society where everything is at our fingertips. He says we live in a society where if we have a feeling or an opinion, we can find confirmation to support that feeling or opinion, which makes us feel as if what we believe is the only point that is valid.

Chief Roles says the environment we live in today can be stressful enough for just about anyone. He says we need to focus on making a mentally sound environment for our youth given the circumstances of today's society as well. He says everyone needs to get back to the Golden Rule of treating others the way we would want to be treated while taking care of the overall wellness for our bodies.