HELENA — National Police Week is being observed in Montana, which is a time to reflect on and honor their challenging work. MTN News talked with an officer who hopes to provide more resources for those he works with.
"It's not a sign of weakness to get help when you're struggling," said Jason Johnson. "It's actually a sign of strength."
Johnson is the deputy chief of staff for the Montana Department of Justice (DOJ) and spoke at the annual Police Week ceremony.
He has more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement, including previously being the undersheriff for Missoula County.
"The more you do that job, the more you see of tragedy every day," he said. "It gets more and more difficult."
Johnson wants to use his experience and time to serve the community and his fellow officers through a new chaplaincy program through the DOJ.
Chaplains provide guidance and spiritual support and are not necessarily religious figures, although they can be.
The program will be a tool officers can use when they need mental health or spiritual assistance.
"If you don't pay attention to how you're doing as an officer, it can build cynicism," Johnson said. "You begin to think that is reality - [what you] see every day of this kind of evil component of our society."
The program is just getting off the ground, as a committee is just starting to interview candidates.
"We want to bring the right people to the table," Johnson said. "Not necessarily religious affiliation is the reason we're bringing somebody to the team; we know we need to meet the needs of all kinds of different peoples."
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen hosts the Police Week ceremony.
He said, "Every day, they wear their badges and put on their uniform, not knowing what dangers they might face or if they're going to come home that night."
The ceremony featured reading the names of the 144 Montana fallen officers since 1878.
