Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez:
April 3, 2020 — Even in the best of circumstances, being a first responder comes with a heavy dose of stress. The work can be draining — physically, mentally and emotionally. This is why, earlier this year I hired our agency’s first full-time staff psychologist, Dr. Robert Seals, to serve as our HCSO Behavioral Health Division director.
Dr. Seals is a military veteran and brings a unique perspective to our agency as we all grapple to cope with the stress of the job. He’s here for times such as this. I encourage all of our HCSO teammates to reach out to Dr. Seals and take advantage of his expertise. Here’s a short video to help you get to know him better.
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Services are free and confidential. Call (346) 286-3150 for more information or to make an appointment. Remote visits are now available as well.
COVID-19 REPORT
The number of HCSO teammates who have received positive test results for COVID-19 grew to 14 on Thursday, an increase of two.
On a positive note, two of the first HCSO deputies to test positive for COVID-19 are recovering well, and are on track to return to duty on Saturday. Welcome back!
Today, the number of HCSO employees on quarantine because of possible exposure to the virus stands at 161, however the number returning to duty is steadily rising. In Patrol alone, we saw 19 deputies return from quarantine on Wednesday. Still, we continue to pray for our 12 brothers and sisters who have tested positive and are fighting to recover. We also pray for our 61 teammates who are awaiting test results.
We’ve also seen strong progress in our efforts to obtain the supplies our front-line deputies, detention officers, and others need to stay safe. We now have enough N95 masks on hand so that all deputies can don a mask when they come into close contact with co-workers or any residents during their daily routines. For more details on this new order, see Law Enforcement Command Directive #20-01 COVID-19 Procedures, which was issued on Tuesday.
TAKING CARE OF OUR FAMILY
Much-needed supplies, such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes, are continuing to arrive for distribution to our teammates on a daily basis. If you need supplies, please contact your supervisor so that we can take care of your needs.
In keeping with our 5th core value, our Wellness Unit as well as our Chaplaincy are available to assist you. Should you or your family have a physical need for hard-find-supplies, financial assistance, emotional and or spiritual support, please reach out to them.
Lt Shannon Bowdoin 936-776-6537
Don Savell 832-233-4387
Dr. Robert Seals
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"The old myth used to be that's something between husband and wife or behind closed doors. It's against the law, we will prosecute you. We're still out there working and protecting people," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez explained.
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Neighbor and HCSO Deputy Jarrett Decatur enlisted some help from a few law enforcement friends. "
I was completely taken by surprise at the turnout and glad we could make Evan feel special," Decatur said. "I was just happy to see the look on Evan's face when we drove by."
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"El Alguacil del condado Harris, Ed González, informó que el adolescente fue acusado de manipulación de productos de consumo. Al parecer, dijo el oficial, todo se trataba de una broma, pero fue arrestado."
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"La administradora del Condado Harris dio este miércoles la orden al alguacil de liberar cientos de presos, con el fin de mitigar el impacto de una eventual crisis de contagiados por el coronavirus."
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To all listed retirees, we thank you for your years of service to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Congratulations on all of your well-deserved retirements, and best of luck on the next chapter in your life. Click
here
for the list of retirees.
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Do You Or Your Family Need Assistance?
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In keeping with our 5th core value, our Wellness Unit as well as our Chaplaincy are available to assist you. Should you or your family have a physical need for hard-find-supplies, financial assistance, emotional and or spiritual support, please reach out to us.
If you are in need, please reach out to:
Don Savell 832-233-4387
Lt Shannon Bowdoin 936-776-6537
Some have asked about making donations to assist our HCSO Teammates that have been impacted by COVID-19.
Donations can be made at:
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Meet our new staff Clinical Psychologist Dr. Robert Seals. He specializes in providing mental health services to military and first responders. His new Behavioral Health Unit will integrate with our current caregivers and trainers (Chaplaincy, Peer support, CIRT, and others). Services are free and confidential. Call 346-286-3150 for more information or to make an appointment. Remote visits are now available as well.
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Webinar First Responders, Stress Management And Coronavirus
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How to take care of yourself and your family during this crisis
Coronavirus transformed our lives nearly overnight. Suddenly, we’re bombarded with messages: Stay home, shelter in place, avoid sick people, flatten the curve, not enough ventilators, you may be a carrier for days without symptoms. It’s no wonder people all over the world have a higher collective stress level than any time in modern history.
And if you work in emergency services, you can’t stay home or avoid sick people. The extra layers of worry on top of jobs that are nerve-wracking by design can quickly become overwhelming. During this free webinar, former paramedic, law enforcement trainer and resilience expert Mike Taigman will explain how stress affects first responders and provide strategies you can use to manage during the long haul of this pandemic.
You’ll learn:
- How stress during emergencies such as the coronavirus outbreak impacts our bodies at a cellular, psychological and emotional level.
- Strategies you can start to use instantly to lower your stress and build resilience during the coronavirus crisis.
- Practical ways public safety leaders can help decrease stress for their personnel on the frontlines of this epidemic.
To Register go to:
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HCSO Online Training Access
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Just a reminder that advanced training classes for TCOLE credit are available from HCSO Online training. This website can be accessed from any internet connection, home or work, just use the link below.
Your login and password for HCSO Online training are your current HCSO Desktop login and password.
Use your TCOLE username and password to log in.
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Training Opportunities For Employees At Home
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These are the available Training Opportunities for employees that have been sent home whose functions cannot be performed remotely. Employees that have self-quarantined due to high-risk conditions can also take these online training to mitigate the number of hours taken from their paid leave or to avoid being docked. The following options are being offered via Harris County Human Resources & Risk Management. Please distribute to your first-line supervisors so they can make these available to all employees. These are also a great resource for employees wanting to complete their mandatory 20 hours of training, not including TCOLE mandated training and are available year long.
Employees without access to a county network computer can now access the attached flyers, catalogs, and all other COVID19 guides and forms on our website at
www.harriscountyso.org
. To access the information, please scroll to the bottom of the page and select COVID-19 Employee Information.
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FREE ClassPass Digital Membership For Harris County Employees
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Staying active is not only part of your routine – it’s often a critical component of your mental well-being. Enjoy ClassPass’ digital solutions for free and experience your favorite classes on-demand from the comfort of your home.
Click
HERE
to sign up for free.
As a Harris County employee, you have access to a $0, 0 credit plan which gives you over 1,000 audio and video workouts to choose from!
New to ClassPass? So glad you’re giving it a try! You can sign up for a digital only membership via the link and select “Create an Account”. From there, you will be prompted to sign up for this digital plan.
Already have a membership? Awesome! You can access all of our audio and digital content under the “Videos” tab and on your app home page.
Had a membership in the past? Welcome back! When you click the link above, please select “Log In”, from there, if you get a pop up, make sure to type:
classpass.com/videos
into your URL.
Your membership is month to month, so you can cancel or switch your plan at any time.
On that note, I’d also like to introduce our Customer Experience team - they can be reached at
ClassPass.com/contact
. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your membership, they’ll be ready to help.
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COVID-19 Precautionary Response And Preventive Measures
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Harris County is closely monitoring all new developments associated with Coronavirus (COVID-19) and we want to ensure that our employees are educated on the known risk(s) of exposure to the virus and the proper protocol. Your health and the health of your co-workers is of the upmost importance. If you are exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or meet any of the potential exposure scenarios, you should contact your immediate supervisor (via telephone), as well as the Public Health Task Force Employee Hotline number at (713)274-3880 or by email
PHTaskForce@eng.hctx.net
to obtain additional information related to self-quarantine procedures, including protocol(s) and verification.
Staff should take preventive actions (washing hands, covering mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, etc.) to help avoid the spread of respiratory viruses. To assist in this effort, departments are urged to take the following actions:
- Purchase supplies of disinfectant including hand sanitizer and place in common worksite areas (lobbies, conference rooms, kitchens, restrooms, etc.);
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces; and
- Employees with health concerns should contact their healthcare provider or you may refer them to:
Harris Health Ask My Nurse Hotline : 713-634-1110
Thank you.
HCSO Human Resources Division
(346) 286-1644
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The Academy Is Cancelling Classes Through The Month Of May
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Out of an abundance of caution, The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy is cancelling classes through the month of May, 2020, in an effort to prevent COVID-19 spread. Although there has been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at our academy we are aggressively taking measures to ensure the health and safety of our attendee’s, guests and staff. At the beginning of May a COVID-19 threat assessment will be conducted and training classes re-evaluated. Essential courses like Basic Peace Officer Course and Basic County Corrections Course will continue for now.
The classes affected by this extension of cancellation will be considered for rescheduling in the future.
We have posted 15 online classes in a continued effort to provide training.
We will stay in contact and will provide updates as they become available to us.
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Miss Last Week's Newsletter?
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Newsletter #58 | We Are Stronger Together!
"It's definitely trying times for our deputies, and everyone in our community," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. "They come into contact with lots of people and still have to do their jobs." "The number one reporters of child abuse are teachers,"...
Read more
myemail.constantcontact.com
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