BACK THE BLUE ALERT: AG Moody Recognizes TPD Office for Supporting Mental Health Awareness

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today presented a Back the Blue Award to Tallahassee Police Officer Sean Wyman for his dedicated efforts to support mental health for first responders. Officer Wyman is a police officer who, in his spare time, recently co-authored Going Beyond the Call: Mental Health Fitness for Public Safety Professionals. Officer Wyman noticed the high suicide rate among first responders and wanted to equip public safety professionals with better training to handle the stress that comes with their careers. Going Beyond the Call provides educational training for mental health awareness, prevention, mitigation and treatment strategies relating to public safety professionals. The book also focuses on social-emotional trauma, stress impacts and communication strategies to reduce the number of suicides within the public safety industry.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Supporting mental health for our first responders is so important. Our law enforcement officers, and all first responders, carry heavy loads with them, not only physically but mentally every day. Suicide is a silent epidemic threatening our first responders and we now see more active and retired law enforcement officers nationwide commit suicide in a year than those that die in the line of duty. We must back our first responders and let them know help is available and that there is no stigma for seeking out assistance. Thank you, Officer Wyman, for highlighting this critical issue and going above and beyond to help your law enforcement brothers and sisters.”

Attorney General Moody presented the Back the Blue Award today to Officer Wyman at the Florida Cabinet meeting. In addition to authoring self-help books, Officer Wyman is a trauma-informed care speaker and organizational trauma trainer. Officer Wyman has served the Tallahassee Police Department for 20 years and is a former Army Ranger.

To nominate a law enforcement officer, citizen or organization for a Back the Blue Award, please email Georgia.Pevy@MyFloridaLegal.com.

For more information about the Attorney General’s Back the Blue Award, click here.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Back the Blue campaign highlights law enforcement officers, citizens and organizations taking extraordinary steps to forge positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Supporting law enforcement is a top priority for Attorney General Moody and the mission of Back the Blue is to commend Florida’s brave law enforcement officers and Floridians who back them.