Breaking the Silence: How Copline Supports Law Enforcement Officers and Their Families 

In the world of law enforcement, the weight of the job extends far beyond being on duty. Officers carry the burdens of the job home, often struggling with the effects of trauma, hypervigilance, and emotional exhaustion. Yet, despite being problem-solvers for others, many find it challenging to seek help for themselves. That’s where Copline steps in, a totally confidential, genuinely non-profit, 24/7 peer support line designed exclusively for law enforcement officers, retirees, and their families. 

Dumpster Fire Days: Navigating the Chaos Together in Law Enforcement Relationships 

Sometimes life feels like a full-blown dumpster fire. One of those days where anything that could go wrong, DID!  Then you realize your partner’s day wasn’t the same stress but also a dumpster fire.  In law enforcement relationships, these “dumpster fire days” can strain even the strongest couples.  When you know how to navigate it, you can tackle the chaos together instead of letting it divide you. 

When Command Presence Comes Home

Let’s be honest, relationships can be tough. Add the challenges of a high-stress job like lawenforcement, and things can get even more complicated. If you’ve ever had a disagreement where your officer partner seemed togo into “work mode”—commanding, controlling, and all business—you’re not alone. And officers, maybe you’ve found yourself looking back on an argument wondering why you acted like you were on duty instead of at home. This is what’scalled **authoritarian spillover**, and it’s something many law enforcement couples face.

Let’s break it down, talk about the challenges it creates, and explore some ways to handle it together.

Hypervigilance at Home

Coming home after a long shift as a law enforcement officer should feel like a relief—a return to safety and family. Yet, for many officers and their spouses, this transition is anything but smooth. Hypervigilance, a critical survival mechanism on the job, often spills over into home life, creating tension and disconnection in relationships.

Coming home after a long shift as a law enforcement officer should feel like a relief—a return to safety and family. Yet, for many officers and their spouses, this transition is anything but smooth. Hypervigilance, a critical survival mechanism on the job, often spills over into home life, creating tension and disconnection in relationships. 

How to Advocate for Police Families after a Traumatic Brain Injury

In this episode of the Code4Couples podcast, host Cyndi Doyle continues the conversation with Joan Van De Greik about the severe financial impacts following her husband’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in the line of duty. Joan shares the struggles they faced, including mounting medical expenses, navigating insurance and workers’ comp, the importance of disability and life insurance with living benefits, and ultimately starting her business, Fetch Your Wealth.  

Joan’s story highlights the necessity of financial planning for law enforcement families facing similar challenges.

The Impact of In The Line of Duty Injuries on Law Enforcement families

There’s an injury to the head on the job. If it’s an open wound, it gets addressed, stapled up, and healed. As time goes on, you or your spouse notices that you’re different.
You’re changing your mood, your drive, your impulsivity and your memory isn’t what it used to be.
You aren’t sure what’s happening.
Despite what looks fine externally, you know something is going on.

Joan Van De Greik shares the story of her husband’s injury and their years of struggle, not only to get the diagnosis, but dismissal and betrayal of the city and the fight for compensation as a work-related injury. Joan’s mission is to educate other law enforcement families and help them to be financially prepared should they experience a career ending injury or line of duty death. This is part one of my interview with Joan as she shares her story of the struggle after the incident.

Indirect Trauma in Law Enforcement Relationships

In a dual first responder home, there are times when first person and vicarious trauma must coexist. We may experience the traumatic incident firsthand and then hear the other person’s view of the same incident when we are home together. While the differing perspectives can be beneficial, it’s not always true. Every person’s reaction to a singular incident is different, and sometimes it can be difficult to remember it. Lisa and James Robinson are a dual first responder couple that have and continue to work through traumas both individually and shared. They share how they stumble through and what they have learned to help and support themselves and each other.