Dear Editor, As we enter 2026, I want to speak directly to police officers, supervisors and leaders, not from a position of theory but from lived experience. Law enforcement is a profession built on service, sacrifice and resilience. But for too long, we have ignored the toll this job takes on our mental and physical health. We’ve normalized exhaustion, emotional suppressionand suffering in silence. That mindset is costing careers, families and lives. As we start a new year, it’s time for honest resolutions, not ones that sound good on paper but ones that actually keep officers alive and well. My message to police officers is simple: you are not weak for ne eding care. For years, we’ve been taught to push through everything – trauma, stress, grief and fear. I’ve lived that reality and suffered in silence with my mental health for years after using deadly force on someone who armed themselves with a hatchet inside a busy department store. I know how easy it is to ignore warning signs…