Marietta Police Department Adds Mental Health Room For Officers – WSB-TV Channel 2

MARIETTA, Ga. — When firefighters and police respond to calls, some of the situations they encounter when they arrive on the scene are more difficult to deal with than others.

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“You can imagine it, they see it and it’s bad,” said Tim Milligan, who is the Marietta Fire Department chief.

“Horrible car crashes. Suicide. Homicide scenes,” said Marty Ferrell, who is the chief of the Marietta Police Department.

“Put yourself in an officer’s shoes, they come out and see something traumatic, then immediately have to decompress and go straight to the next call,” said Chuck McPhilamy, public information officer for the police department. of Marietta.

But soon, there will be a place inside the Marietta Police Department that officers can use to decompress.

Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was at the police department with an exclusive look at the coin and how it will be used.

“To get away from what they just went through and make a decision. Are they really ready to hit the road and react? said Ferrell.

A room inside the police station will be transformed into a wellness room. The room will be equipped with a massage chair, soothing sounds and soft lighting. The walls will be painted with a color that promotes a calm environment.

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“It also has a special beat behind the scenes that you don’t really hear, but it’s been scientifically proven to lower your heart rate, your breathing, your anxiety,” Ferrell said.

The City of Marietta approved funding to launch a mental and emotional wellness initiative for public safety employees and invest more funds in the city’s public safety training center.

Funding for each program comes from state and local tax stimulus funds designated as Revenue Loss.

The Mental and Emotional Wellness initiative is led by Ferrell and Milligan.

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Emphasis is also placed on mental health within the community.

A clinician will assist police on calls where someone may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

“My goal is really not to incarcerate people who suffer from mental disorders. My goal is to get them the treatment they need,” Ferrell said.

The wellness room should be finished at the end of December or January 2023.

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