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These police officers are meditating on duty, using the power of the mind to control the stress the mind itself creates. to develop skill at meditation, and regular practice is necessary, meditating for only 20 minutes a day can train the mind to cope with stress over a period of time. Interestingly, there is scientifc evidence that explains the effect meditation can have on the brain. Research conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital has suggested meditation can increase gray matter density in portions of the human brain associated with "self-awareness, compassion, and introspection," and decrease gray matter density in portions of the brain associated with stress and anxiety. Meditation lowers the heart rate, normalizes blood pressure, reduces hormones caused by stress and strengthens immunity. It has even been said, "The body gains a deeper, more signifcant rest from 30 minutes of meditation than it does from 30 minutes of sleep." The police wellness program of today could incorporate mind-based techniques such as meditation. Once meditation is taught and learned, it can be practiced virtually anywhere, even in a designated quiet room within a police facility. There are no ongoing costs and no equipment is required. The only real costs to implement such a program would be in teaching offcers how to perform it. Police departments could either partner with a local program such as the Massachusetts program, or retain local consultants to teach the practice. Finally, police managers should give serious consideration to make some level of participation mandatory. Teaching police offcers how to meditate, and then giving them the opportunity or requiring them to participate during work hours, is not much different from compelling specialized offcers, such as SWAT personnel, to physically exercise on duty. The University at Buffalo research demonstrated there is as great a need for mental "exercise" as physical, and the law enforcement profession is not currently meeting the needs of its offcers in this area. Rather than just providing opportunities to improve wellness for police offcers and then hoping for the best, police departments should educate offcers about their stress and wellness, provide them all the tools and opportunity for improvement and maintenance, and then insist upon it. Kevin Burke is the Chief of Police in Healdsburg, Calif. Prior to that, he spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Chief Burke has a BA in Economics, an MS in Management, and a law degree from UC Berkeley. He spent three years as a prosecutor with the Orange County District Attorney's offce prior to becoming a full-time police offcer. He may be reached at kburke@ ci.healdsburg.ca.us. LaO 1-800-234-6151 (U.S. and Canada only) 1-972-494-6151 Email: security@garrett.com Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com Click on EInfo at - www.lawandordermag.com reader service #20 www.lawandordermag.com 55