Jay Police Chief Richard Caton, IV. Submitted photo
For the second installment of writing on the need for wellness for First Responders, I interviewed Jay Police Chief Richard Caton, IV.
One of the perks of growing up in rural America is knowing generations of families. Chief Caton’s grandfather and my father knew each other through law enforcement; I know of his father through law enforcement; and his twin brother is the University of Maine at Farmington, Chief Brock Caton, where I met with students as a Certified Campus Assault Advocate. One might think it was inevitable for him to follow in his family’s footsteps, but he didn’t think he’d go into law enforcement when he began college. A Criminal Justice professor during his second semester influenced his decision. He attended the Criminal Justice Academy, working as a reserve officer before graduating as a Blue Pin in 2003. He attained the level of Lieutenant Detective before becoming the Police Chief in Jay, Maine, in 2014. The system encourages retiring after 25 years.
A law enforcement job demands physical, mental, and emotional courage. When I asked about wellness, Chief Caton responded that he loves “being outdoors where he can gather his thoughts.” We can exercise all day, but we may not be well. Twenty years ago, you didn’t talk to anyone about your experiences except with your co-worker. New officers are okay with talking to a group or one-to-one. I prefer peer groups. We have debriefing sessions. We’re supposed to be the brave ones, so we don’t want to have anyone see us breaking down. We don’t want to be seen as vulnerable. We see more trauma in a week than an average person sees in a lifetime. I encourage my officers to know how their work impacts their personal lives.”
“I recognize my wellness by getting up and wanting to go to work. I know something’s wrong when I don’t want to go to work. I share with my family. They don’t need to know everything. My youngest child asks more than the older one. My wife understands from her experience working in the DA’s office. Early on, my home life was more affected. Being in this work takes its toll on the whole family. Sometimes, I only want to be left alone, watch a movie, and not do things with my family. I try not to go home grumpy. Just go home and hug my kid. He stares outwardly and adds, “Early on, I didn’t pay attention to the effects on my spouse; let the family know you’re going to be late.” The latter applies to all of us. “My sleep is affected. Work is always on my mind, wondering, ‘Did I do that right?’ I’ll get woken up from a dead sleep and have to focus.”
The Chief’s budget doesn’t include programs such as yoga or meditation for wellness, but he’s interested. “We need something. Insurance covers a few therapy sessions.”
What’s the message for the public? Chief Caton grinned. “Donuts are a thing. A kind gesture shows us we matter. Officers have bad days like everyone. The public doesn’t know our back story. We go from one incident to the next, sometimes without a break, without adjusting time. Domestic situations are the most dangerous. Some scenarios take more courage than others. We have to go in thinking it’s worse than it is. We make mistakes, but we all get frowned upon. We need understanding. We don’t get into the profession to destroy lives; sometimes, upholding the law does that. We do our job to the best of our ability. We’re human. In that way, we’re no different than anyone else.”
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