SALISBURY — The job of a police officer is unlike most other careers, creating higher levels of stress on a daily basis. But in the past, it has been challenging, at best, for departments to address the mental and emotional well being of officers, due to both budget constraints and often a resistance by officers to seek help.

For the third year in a row, the local non-profit, The Salisbury Police Foundation, will host a lunch banquet to raise funds to provide additional, outside support to encourage officers to get the help needed.

In late 2020, a group of concerned residents in Salisbury, including former Police Chief Jerry Stokes, came together with an idea, to create a non-profit organization that could offer support beyond what the department is able to provide. They spent more than a year crafting a mission statement, gathering a board of directors and establishing non-profit status. A grant from the Robertson Family Foundation allowed the organization to get its 501(c)(3) designation.

Eventually, they created a mission: to promote, solicit and distribute funds from donor support to enhance police services, and provide a connection between officers and Salisbury residents. The organization champions training, equipment and wellness assistance for Salisbury officers beyond what the department budget will allow.

The organization’s first banquet was held in September of 2022, and at that inaugural event, Stokes explained that the SPF exists to help police officers deal with the job stress and have long, successful careers, “because no city’s budget is large enough to encompass all the mental and emotional health needs brought on by that level of constant stress.”

This year’s banquet is scheduled for Sept. 18 at the Salisbury Country Club. The event is the central fundraising event for the non-profit, and this year’s guest speaker is David Whisenant, who retired last year from WBTV after more than 30 years, where part of his news beat was the Salisbury police.

When retired Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten reached out to Whisenant, inviting him to speak, “he said the mission would have to do with officers seeking mental health help, and I can absolutely get behind that,” Whisenant said. He said he was honored to be asked and is happy to participate. “After 32 years of seeing (police) up close, and knowing the situations they deal with, I certainly think this is worthwhile.”

There were times over the years that he said he himself needed to talk to someone after a particularly difficult case, “and the 80 percent I saw is no comparison to the 100 percent they deal with.” Mental health has long been an important cause for Whisenant, and “if anything I say encourages an officer to get help, that’s great.”

“Policing is a tough job, and we want to ensure the officers’ health and well-being as they work to keep our community safe,” John Struzick, board president has said.

Others on the board include Jolene Philpott, Karen Barbee, Seth Waller, Tom Teichroew, Brenda Wood, Keith Bailey, Angela Alford, Kevin Auten, Daniel Wallace and Jim Strillacci.

“The foundation is one way in which our community can express their support of our officers and professional staff. The foundation works with the SPD to make Salisbury a safer place for all of us, and we at the SPD are grateful for their partnership,” said Chief Patrick PJ Smith in his message on the foundation website.

In the past, the foundation provided funding for an overhaul to the exercise facility inside the police department, motivated by officers’ concerns that using an outside facility could be challenging.

“They can’t take their service weapon and their gear into a public gym,” said Philpott, noting that officers will often talk to each other in a safe environment as a way of decompressing, and the facility gives them that space. “Overall, bettering the lives of the men and women in the department will enable them to serve our community with more efficiency and in a healthier state of mind, and that is our goal.”

This past year, the organization provided six recreational bicycles for officers to ride off duty, and each year they help sponsor the Christmas party. There are plans to kick off a birthday program in October for all staff, uniform and civilian, in order to acknowledge the contributions of all in the department. In addition, the organization provides help with therapy on an ongoing basis. Insurance often covers a limited number of therapy sessions and the foundation will step in and cover additional sessions as needed.

Tickets are available for the luncheon, and information on sponsorship levels are available at https://salisburync.gov/Government/Police/Salisbury-Police-Foundation. In addition, anyone can make a donation to the foundation, and monies go directly towards projects to support officer wellness. The website lays out ways to make donations. The organization has not yet determined specific projects for the coming year as it is not yet known what funds will be available, but the board meets monthly throughout the year to discuss needs.

“We let the officers guide us in what their needs are,” said Philpott, adding that it is the most effective way to choose projects that will truly benefit the department.