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2021 NATIONAL FOP BIENNIAL CONFERENCE REPORT
Sherri Martin, director of wellness services with the Officer Wellness Com- mittee for the National FOP, stood at the podium and looked at the thousands of rank-and-file law enforcement profes- sionals at the 65th Biennial Conference in Indianapolis.
In that moment, she knew that this was what the conference was about: gathering from all over the country, shar- ing efforts to improve the profession and taking pride in the work they do.
“Fraternal Order of Police is leading the way in keeping your wellness in the forefront of the conversation of this pro- fession,” she began. “The Division of Wellness Services has been hard at work building wellness resources for all of our members and all members of law en- forcement.”
Martin knows the importance of of- ficer mental health and wellness first- hand. She was on the job in Charleston, South Carolina, from September 1997 to April 2015, rising to the rank of lieu- tenant. Throughout her time, she served as treasurer and vice president for the South Carolina State Lodge of the FOP.
After moving to Connecticut and serv-
ing four more years, Martin became the chairperson for the National Officer Wellness Committee for the FOP in Oc- tober 2018 and then began her current position as director of wellness services for the National FOP in December 2019.
She has helped develop training cur- ricula for the National FOP’s mental health peer mentor program, which is set to deploy nationwide in 2022 to cre- ate a network of private mental wellness resources for officers. The presentation also highlighted the FOP Wellness Pro- vider Vetting Guide, which gives point- ers and recommendations for choosing competent wellness services and well- ness products for law enforcement.
“We have power in our collective voice,” Martin said. “I’m here to make sure that while we’re talking about how we’re reforming police, the well-being of police is not lost in those reforms.”
Martin’s passion is ensuring that the profession has the resources it needs from the National FOP to cultivate the most mentally healthy generation of law enforcement officers the country has ever seen.
“As the voice of law enforcement, our
committee recognizes that we have a duty,” she affirmed. “No other law en- forcement organization in the world has the power to speak for you — the rank and file — like the FOP does. I’d like to call on you to assist the FOP in our mis- sion to work on your behalf.”
Amid the ongoing efforts to advocate for police officers and battle through the issues challenging the profession, the national conference turned to a 5-year- old to show its brighter side.
Lake County Indiana Lodge 125 in- vited Cameron Baker to the podium to receive recognition as an honorary sher- iff and member. The 5-year-old from Crown Point had recently finished his chemotherapy treatment for Wilms tu- mor, a rare form of kidney cancer.
The members just to the east of Chi- cago mustered from Hammond, Merrill- ville, Crown Point and other municipal- ities to honor Cameron in June. At the
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conference, they not only gave him his award, but honored his older brother, Westin, with the “I got your back” award.
This proved to be one moment when the conference and the profession put its best foot forward.
FOP continues to promote officer wellness
Honoring the FOP’s bravest