The Bastrop Police Department is seeking $20,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to finance mental and physical wellness training and programs for its officers throughout the year.
The details
The mental and physical wellness training and programs would also feature:
- Workshops
- Quarterly training
- Retirement readiness
If approved, Bastrop Police Chief Vicky Steffanic told Bastrop City Council the department would sign a professional service agreement with a Dallas-based company that has a variety of resources, such as doctors and nutritionists.
Zooming in
During a Feb. 10 meeting, Steffanic emphasized the impact the physical wellness training and programs would have on the department.
“Officers, typically just due to the nature of the job, struggle,” she said. “They struggle with their family life, life in general and with some of what they see when they’re working in our line of work. So there’s just a variety of positive benefits this would provide for our officers.”
The outlook
The $20,000 in grant funding would cover the entire bill, as the U.S. Department of Justice would not require the city of Bastrop to dedicate any matching funds, according to city documents.
Steffanic explained what matching funds are and provided a hypothetical example.
“A $4 million grant sounds amazing,” she said. “But [if there’s a matching funds requirement], the city would have to produce $1 million.”
