FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — This week the deputies at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office attended a leadership seminar.
“We have an A+ organization and to stay A+, we have to continue to train, we have to continue to pick up new methods of doing things and new ways of taking care of ourselves and that’s one of the reasons for this training,” Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith.
As part of the leadership, a strong emphasis was put on the all the deputies mental resilience.
“We’re having some advanced training in resiliency and it’s an opportunity for us to learn some cutting-edge techniques to help reduce stress and if we reduce stress in our work, staff, our workforce, then they’re probably going to perform to a higher level,” Smith said.
The seminar was led by former North Carolina State University Professor Doctor Mitch Javidi.
Javidi said that in order to achieve the high bar set by Smith and the Franklin County community, deputies not only need to be physically resilient but also mentally strong.
“Police officer has all the skills that are necessary to perform, but they must have the highest character traits because without a character trait you would not be able to perform to deliver results,” Javidi said.
In addition to teaching the deputies the psychology of mental resilience, Javidi also brought the deputies through various exercises that helped train their resilience.
Smith said he feels the skills his deputies learned at the training will directly help them better serve the community and he plans to have Dr. Javidi back next year and offer the training to surrounding departments.
