San Diego police officers taking advantage of confidential help

Rocked by a string of officer-misconduct cases, the San Diego Police Department is trying to prevent future problems by helping officers cope with stress akin to that of combat veterans, as well as with problems linked to a sour economy, police officials said Wednesday.

Police Chief Bill Lansdowne told a City Council committee that many officers and their family members have sought help through a new confidential help line and a wellness program modeled after a program used by the Denver Police Department.

Capt. Sarah Creighton said officers are seeking help because the program is not part of a disciplinary process: “It’s good because they’re coming forward, it’s bad because they’re desperate. It’s a mixed bag.”

Committee members were supportive of Lansdowne’s seven-point program announced last spring but indicated that they want to be kept informed of its development — and possibly even be allowed to sit in on meetings with officers seeking help.

Councilwoman Marti Emerald, chairwoman of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, said 11 incidents of misconduct in a force of 1,800 officers is not a trend but is still troubling. “This is not a wave spreading,” she said. “But it’s a warning.”

The incidents include allegations of off-duty drunk driving, spousal abuse and stalking, and on-duty rape and excessive force. Five officers have left the force as a result; two are set for trial on sexual assault charges.

The department is working with UC San Diego Medical School staff to develop counseling programs for officers and has asked a researcher at the University of San Diego to study the “warrior mentality” that can cause alienation and misbehavior.

The chief’s initiative includes greater oversight by supervisors of potentially troublesome officers. Some 350 sergeants and acting sergeants attended a two-day seminar on leadership and ethics, said Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman.

Also, the internal affairs unit has been bolstered, Lansdowne said, with an additional lieutenant and four sergeants.

Pressed to identify the “root cause” of the problems, the chief pointed to the economy and the city’s chronic budgetary problems. Too many officers are having marital and financial problems, he said.

Councilman Todd Gloria noted that a ballot measure that may appear on the June ballot calls for a five-year salary freeze for all city employees. Facing five years without raises, “it’s easy to get despondent,” said Gloria, who opposes the measure.

“Too often our officers don’t feel the respect they deserve,” he said.

Lansdowne said that when the 24-hour hotline was established, it was getting an average of 23 calls a day. Now the number is closer to seven or eight, he said. The calls come from officers seeking help for themselves or others, and from members of the public reporting misconduct.

The department’s hiring patterns may contribute to problems of stress, officials said. Forty percent of new officers are military veterans, most of them having served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which may lead to delayed onset of post traumatic stress disorder, Creighton said.

Six San Diego police officers have died violently in the last year, which has increased stress on the remaining force, officials said.

Two officers were killed in the line of duty, Jeremy Henwood on Aug. 6 and Christopher Wilson on Oct. 28. David Hall, facing criminal charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run, committed suicide Aug. 1. Det. Donna Williams was stabbed to death in her home July 18; her mentally ill son was arrested. Two officers have died in off-duty vehicle crashes, Christopher Blakely on Aug. 24 and Jason Prokop on Oct. 1.

tony.perry@latimes.com