Adam is an former police officer based in Hartford, Wisconsin – USA. After a critical incident at work he found himself struggling mentally. This story is Adam’s account of the experience and the years following. We’ve included it as we think it’s an important narrative about coping with adversity. Trigger warning: Mentions of substance misuse, alcohol, sex, suicide and a gun.

In this powerful episode of Shielded Voices, we sit down with Adam Meyers, a Wisconsin Police Captain, but most importantly, a dedicated advocate for the law enforcement and first responder community. Representing Stop the Threat – Stop the Stigma, Adam shares his mission to create awareness and foster resilience among those who serve on the front lines.

After using deadly force in the course of duty, a police officer entered a cycle of self-destructive behavior, using poor coping strategies for years before being diagnosed. He shares his story of mental health and recovery with Boomer readers in hopes that it can reach others.

What self-abuse looked like for a longtime officer — and how he overcame his struggles

My coping strategies were bad, unhealthy, self-destructive, and dangerous. I used alcohol, marijuana, casual sex, and self-harm as some of my poor coping strategies for years after my critical incident.

My poor coping strategies easily put my relationships, job, and health at risk, but I did not care. I wanted to escape from what I was feeling. I wanted to numb my emotions, my thoughts, my body, and any memory of taking someone’s life. I wanted to feel better even if only momentarily. I was selfish, reckless, and I did not care how my self-destructive and dangerous behavior may have affected my family, friends, children, co-workers, and the public.

The public safety profession is a high-stress environment that has been associated with mental health issues.

Public safety leaders must take a helpful approach when anyone in their command is struggling from mental health issues. Leaders should establish peer support groups and actively participate in them.

Good coping strategies I do now are eating healthy, walking, hiking, kayaking, being out in nature, spending quality time wtih family and friends, and sharing my experience with others.  I’m currently a Mental Health Crisis Worker in Southeastern Wisconsin.  My employer, supervisor, and co-workers are very supportive.

The issue of mental health is prominent everywhere in the public safety profession and it is an issue that commands a new perspective.

There are many different coping strategies people may use after experiencing trauma. They may be good and healthy, or they may be bad and unhealthy. My coping strategies were bad, unhealthy, self-destructive, and dangerous. I used alcohol, marijuana, casual sex, and self-harm as some of my poor coping strategies for years after my critical incident.

“I did not know the things I will do, the things I will see, the way they will affect me,” said Meyers. “I still have a desire and passion to help people, to be a peer specialist and share my experiences with others, and hope that it will help them.”

The experience plagued Meyers, a 20-year veteran officer, with feelings of guilt and trauma, inspiring him to found Stop the Threat – Stop the Stigma in 2020, an organization devoted to eliminating the stigma around speaking about mental health in a profession often linked to facing your fears daily and carrying on.

STOP THE STIGMA. Longtime law enforcement professional Adam Meyers was traumatized by his experience using deadly force against a civilian in 2016 in self-defense. Now, he helps others struggling with mental illness cope with traumatic circumstances or any type of mental illness in an effort to speak up and advocate for more conversations about mental health.

For over two decades, Adam served as a law enforcement officer in Wisconsin, facing the unimaginable challenges that come with the job. But one fateful day, he was involved in an officer-involved shooting. Although cleared of any wrongdoing, Adam’s life took a harrowing turn.

While all police officers pull their weapons during their careers only a very small percentage actually end up firing them in a deadly force confrontation. On April 8, 2016, Detective Adam Meyers became one of those officers after he was involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting that changed his life forever. In this episode, host Jim Dudley chats with Adam about the events of that day and the immediate aftermath, as well as the ongoing stress he experienced as a result of the incident.

Hosts and PTSI Resilience Trainers John Salerno and Samantha Horwitz talk with Adam Meyers from Stop the Threat Stop the Stigma on A Badge of Honor Podcast.

A Badge of Honor offers workshops to first responders across the nation, working with mental health liasons and critical incident management teams for Post Traumatic Stress Injury Recovery, wellness and resilience. A Badge of Honor says, “We Hear You,” and wants you to know you are not alone.

While all police officers pull their weapons during their careers only a very small percentage actually end up firing them in a deadly force confrontation. On April 8, 2016, Detective Adam Meyers became one of those officers after he was involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting that changed his life forever. In this episode, host Jim Dudley chats with Adam about the events of that day and the immediate aftermath, as well as the ongoing stress he experienced as a result of the incident.

I worked very hard to get in the law enforcement profession, he said. I worked very hard to try to be a positive role model to my daughters and I knew that my life would continue to suffer if I would continue down the path that I was on.

There are many different coping strategies people may use after experiencing trauma. They may be good and healthy, or they may be bad and unhealthy. My coping strategies were bad, unhealthy, self-destructive, and dangerous. I used alcohol, marijuana, casual sex, and self-harm as some of my poor coping strategies for years after my critical incident.

My poor coping strategies put my relationships, my job, and my health at risk, but I did not care. I wanted to escape from what I was feeling. I wanted to numb my emotions, my thoughts, my body, and any memory of taking someone’s life. I wanted to feel better even if only momentarily. I was selfish, reckless, and I did not care how my self-destructive and dangerous behavior affected my family, friends, fellow officers, or the public.

Adam joins H.O.P.E. Beyond The Badge podcast and shares how he was drawn to police work from an early age, he discusses his time serving in the Army’s MP Corps, getting his dream job as a cop in the town where he lived, his career in law enforcement adn the many positions he’s held over the years.