SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Police Capt. Rene Gallegos said he wants conversations about mental health to be more common among police officers.
“Every crime scene that you make affects you, and this accumulates,” Gallegos said. “It’s OK to ask for help. And, it’s OK not being OK for a day.”
Gallegos said that to make that possible, the San Antonio Police Department is changing its culture. SAPD just became the first law enforcement agency in the country to be certified for trauma-informed care.
“You need to create an atmosphere of safety, resiliency and empowerment,” Gallegos said.
Trauma-informed care goes beyond acknowledging the need for mental health resources. It takes a proactive approach to dealing with day-to-day personal and professional hardships so officers don’t feel alone.
Gallegos said he wants people to feel like they’re a part of a community that understands and can help them.
The Ecumenical Center certified SAPD after reviewing its policy and training. It found successes and areas for improvement.
“Our new wellness program was inspired during this,” Gallegos said.
This certification came at the end of a year, stained with dozens of SAPD officers being shot and multiple high-profile murder and mental health cases. That’s why Bart Vasquez, the executive director of the 100 Club of San Antonio and a retired police officer for more than 20 years at SAPD, said now more than ever, these conversations need to become more normalized.
“Another officer is going to get shot, or another firefighter is going to go through a tough scene and have to deal with some injuries,” Vasquez said. “We have to show them a positive way to kind of recover from that and deal with those issues.”
Gallegos said this certificate proves SAPD is doing extra work to support more officers.
“In turn, our community gets a better officer,” Gallegos said. “That means the interactions in the field are going to be with a little bit more compassion.”
The City of San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District also received this certificate. The city aims to have all 40+ departments certified by Fiscal Year 2026.
