Campus Police personnel now have handheld access to health resources from Cordico, the industry-standard technology platform addressing a variety of issues faced by front line workers.
SAN MARCOS — The Palomar College Police Department (PCPD) has implemented a smartphone wellness app developed by Cordico and featuring content to help the department’s staff maintain and further their health, amidst the pressures and demands of law enforcement.
Palomar College Police Chief Chris Moore said the subscription began in early March, providing all of the department’s staff and their significant others with access to valuable resources.
“It’s a standard smartphone app providing customized content that all of our employees in the department can access,” said Moore. “This is a way for us to strengthen and reinforce our people’s resiliency.”
Funded by a donation to the nonprofit Palomar College Foundation, the subscription allows personnel to complete anonymous self-assessments, receive peer support, and engage with instructional content on a wide variety of mental and emotional health issues. The app also covers a range of physical health topics frequently encountered by first responders.
“We are very grateful for the continuing support and generosity of our Palomar College Foundation donors,” said Interim Superintendent/President Dr. Jack Kahn. “This type of contribution is a great example of the impact our Foundation has on our College, employees and students.”
Moore said promoting health among the ranks has always been part of the professional development of law enforcement personnel. Providing these services via handheld devices that are always available makes them more immediately relevant to his staff, he explained.
“We can send someone to an eight-hour class, and they can leave saying, ‘I’m going to change my diet, I’m going to sleep eight hours a night,’ but then you go home and are faced with all of your life challenges,” he said. “But this is on the officer’s phone—if something comes up and they want to learn about it, they can.”
In addition to the usual pressures of law enforcement, campus policing also changed drastically with the onset of COVID-19 last year, Moore said: “Most of the officers who work here, it’s because they like students and they like to engage with people.” But for over a year now, the social interactions that were previously an enriching part of the job have been minimal to nonexistent.
Moore cited a popular reference work, Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement, which for several decades was a standard text in law enforcement training. Much of Cordico’s video content, he said, has been adapted from the book.
Cordico’s website describes the company as “the world leader in wellness technology for high-stress professions,” including first responders, dispatchers and health care workers.
The Cordico subscription went live in early March, and he said the department is “getting good feedback—we’re talking about some of the content as a group. A couple of our people are really into nutrition, and have talked about sharing recipes and that kind of content.”