Writer / Renee Larr
Photography Provided
Sergeant Brice Swart, a 21-year veteran of the Noblesville Police Department, is starting an initiative to help fellow police officers focus on four pillars of health. Those areas include nutrition, financial well-being, fitness, and mental and emotional health.
“In regards to nutrition, I brought in a nutritionist and provided educational videos in a four-part series for the officers to learn about healthy eating, hydration, caffeine, food choices, balanced meals and meal prep,” Swart says. “Then the officers had the opportunity to have a virtual session with the nutritionist.”
Swart also brought in a meal preparation company to provide officers with pre-made healthy meals they can eat on the go. Each week the meals are dropped off to the department as a healthy alternative to fast-food while working.
Swart contacted a financial advisor to provide information based on each officer’s time with the department.
“The financial advisor provided some financial videos for the officers to watch,” Swart says. “Then he provided information for officers with zero to five years of service, five to 15 years of service, and 15 and over. This should provide the officers with more clarity on what they should be doing financially through each phase of their career.”
Physical fitness is essential in a police officer’s career. Swart partnered with ProTeam Tactical Performance to offer fitness guidance.
“They provide an assessment called DARI Motion,” Swart says. “They do a full-body scan to see what areas may be prone to injury, and then provide some exercise initiatives to better prevent that potential injury from occurring. The goal is to reassess each year.”
He also partnered with Riverview Health to provide wellness exams for officers.
They start with a blood draw and then go through assessments based on blood test results about one month later.
The last pillar is mental and emotional health, which is often the most critical component to sound overall health. The department offers a peer support team to provide officers with education and resources to get the help they may need. The department also provides a mental-health professional who understands the mental stressors of the job.
“We also have the ‘Behind the Badge’ program,” Swart says. “Officers’ wives partner with each other to hold events throughout the year, like family date night for officers to go out and meet other officers and their families.”
Swart researched other officer wellness programs across the country before starting his initiatives. He wanted to identify some of the potential issues that can arise throughout an officer’s career.
“I wanted to focus on preventative measures people could do throughout the years to make sure they’re taking care of themselves,” Swart says. “The thought is, if you have a healthy lifestyle and a healthy home, you’re going to be better at your job. You’re going to be happier and provide a better service to the community.”
For more information, visit www.cityofnoblesville.org.
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