Blue Line

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Blue Line, The Podcast: Const. James Jefferson, Greater Sudbury Police Service

“I realized I had to change the game plan. I had to recover from this because living like this couldn’t be an option... It was a conscious choice to be better than this disorder, to not be defined by it but to defy it. It all began there.”

October 7, 2020  By Renée Francoeur



*Trigger warning: This post and audio recording mentions suicide.

The wellness co-ordinator officer with the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS), Const. James Jefferson, joins us for this episode of Blue Line, The Podcast. He’s a 12-year police service veteran and specializes in mental health, peer-to-peer support, member outreach, physical fitness and nutrition.

After working assignments in uniform patrol and the drug enforcement unit, working undercover, and being involved in a die by police suicide scenario, Jefferson endured the fallout of PTSD.

Const. James Jefferson is the wellness co-ordinator officer with the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

“I had to recover from this because living like this couldn’t be an option,” he says. “I couldn’t sustain this lifestyle. It was just a matter of time before I did something that was dangerous or hurtful or that put me in harm’s way. It was a conscious choice to be better than this disorder, to not be defined by it but to defy it. It all began there.”

He used his experience to gain a perspective and tells us how he molded trauma into purpose by educating and inspiring fellow first responders to overcome the challenges that come with wearing the badge.

Hit play in the SoundCloud link below for the full conversation on how he climbed up from rock bottom and began this new chapter as the first wellness co-ordinator with his service. You can also search Annex Business Media: Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts to listen in.

Additionally, stream the show here at annexbusinessmedia.com/podcasts or on our own playlist here: https://soundcloud.com/user-381015363/sets/blue-line-podcast .

Did you miss our last podcast episode with Dilnaz Garda, the president of Toronto Beyond the Blue? Hear more from that conversation about the Heroes In Life Memorial, police families and more HERE.

This episode is brought to you by Wilfrid Laurier University. Wilfrid Laurier University offers respected and affordable policing, criminology and policing, and public safety, programs that are fully online and designed to advance your career. Choose from: a Bachelor of Arts in Policing, Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Policing, Master of Public Safety, and 5 Graduate Diplomas in the areas of Emergency Management, National Security, Countering Crime, Border Strategies, and GIS and Data Analytics. Transfer credits apply for Basic Constable Training towards the BA in Policing. For more information visit www.laurierpublicsafety.ca


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