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doing the best as she once was. In the letter, this recruit wrote to her grandmother about all the things she has learned from her throughout all the years from a special pancake recipe to how to always treat people with kindness because you never know what someone is going through. This recruit let her grandmother know how much she means to her and how without her she wouldn't be the woman she is today. This recruit let her grandmother know that everything she does has her in mind and that she hopes she will get to see me through the end of this academy. Thank you for this assignment, this recruit's grandmother was extremely happy to hear all of these and brought to tears from it all. This recruit thinks this assignment is something that is very important and needed by many people. For the letter, it was written to my girlfriend who currently lives with me. I was very nervous, yet excited at the same time, to be giving it to her. The moment that I gave it to her I seemed to feel happier as if I was walking on a cloud. After she read it she was very thankful that I had written it for her and seemed to improve her mood as well. Thank you for having us do that exercise. I decided to give the letter to my mother. She absolutely loved the letter " aww um... starts tearing up... that's so sweet, this is something I will cherish for the rest of my life, I love you" was my mother's response. Writing the letter made me feel good inside. I am the type of person that can express how I feel better through writing/ texting. This recruit is informing you that he wrote his letter to his girlfriend. We’ve been living together for the past year or so and have had a pretty strong relationship. When this recruit presented her the letter it brought out many emotions. She had just recently had a bad day at work, so it really turned her mood around and set her in a more positive mindset. It brought to light how much gratitude can really drive a person’s mindset and emotions. Instructors who graduated from the FBINAA Comprehensive Officer Resiliencesm from the June 24-26, 2019 Maryland/Delaware Chapter are as follows: • Corporal Diderot Alerte , Prince George's County PD • Lieutenant Harold Bozeman , Wilmington PD • Corporal Hannah Cerrone , Howard County PD • Senior Probation Officer II Dennis Desilet , State of Delaware Probation & Parole • Captain Benjamin Feldmann , New Castle County PD • Lieutenant Mark Fox , Hartford County Sheriff's Office • Master Corporal Angela Garnsey , Delaware State Police • Deputy Sheriff David Gehrman , Charles County Sheriff's County • Officer First Class Patrick Gipe , Howard County PD • Captain Jennifer Griffin , Delaware State Police • Police Officer First Class Meghann Holloway , Howard County PD • Sergeant Mark Kaylor , Charles County Sheriff's County • Lieutenant Erica McCreary , Prince George's County PD • Senior Probation Officer Richard Negley Jr. , State of Delaware Probation & Parole • Sergeant Jonathon Packard , Delaware State Police • Officer II Mindy Rhoton , Maryland Transportation Authority Police

growth. After writing the gratitude letters, the student-athletes and Criminal Justice class students shared their messages with those individuals. They then reported back their experience with their teammates and fellow students. Both groups overwhelmingly reported that the process of writing the letters, reading, or giving them to their gratitude recipient, and the feelings afterward increased their happiness. Not only can the program be taught to police and civilian populations, but also through a variety of teaching mediums. In early 2020, the State of Delaware issued a State of Emergency with a stay at home order and other precautionary requirements for organizations, including the Delaware State Police Training Academy. Due to these mandates, the Delaware State Police had to pivot to start training the 94th DSP / 90th Municipal class in an online format. Thus, the Comprehensive Officer Resiliencesm modules were taught online to the new class during week # 2. Incorporating the program into the early stages at the Academy was strategically planned. This program provides these new police recruits with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to manage not only the Academy experience but also develop and build resiliency skills that will be critical for these recruits as they enter policing. During this time, we have all had to pivot and adjust to new challenges and using an online format was just as impactful to the recipients as the traditional face-to-face method. The following are several excerpts taken from emails that the police recruits sent their instructor after completing the gratitude letter assignment. I wrote my gratitude letter to my parents and they absolutely loved it. I really took the time to think about what I was writing and when reading it to them I became a bit emotional and I’m usually not that kind of person. Hugs were given after and they said they would keep the letter forever. They thanked me for taking the time to write out how grateful I am for everything they have done for me. I told them I am proud to be their son and that I will do my best to walk the road they helped pave for me. I wrote the letter to my mother. She will never realize how strong she is. Although this assignment was particularly hard for me, as I am not the greatest at expressing my feelings, talking to her about how much she has sacrificed for our family and how much this means to me made her very happy. She expressed she needed to hear this, and it made her week. This conversation made me feel a deep happiness that I feel will carry over into my day tomorrow. After presenting my letter of gratitude, it felt therapeutic to speak my mind and release some thoughts and words I usually only think about saying but never do. Seeing my brother’s reaction felt good, and I could tell that he enjoyed those positive words fromme. People always could use positive reinforcements and it is helpful for both parties. This is something that should be done more regularly because it's good to get your thoughts out from time to time to clear your mind. This recruit’s sister was shocked at first after hearing her younger brother explain why he was thankful for her. The recruit’s sister than explained how nice it was to hear that appreciation come from her brother, and that no other person has said those words to her before. The recruit’s sister felt that it was thoughtful and made her laugh at the old memories the recruit brought up. She was happy after listening to the recruit read the letter.This recruit’s sister has always provided wisdom and great memories that this recruit will always cherish for life, and for the recruit to let his sister know that was even better. This recruit wrote a letter of gratitude to her grandmother today as your class assignment. This recruit has always been closer to her grandmother than to pretty much anyone else in her family, so the bond has always been strong. Unfortunately, this recruit's grandmother was put into hospice care and isn't

• Sergeant Mike Skinner , Delaware State University PD • Sergeant Steve Smith , University of Delaware PD • Corporal Anthony Scelsi , Delaware Capitol Police • Ms. Tamika Smith , Acadia Healthcare

About the Author: Captain Jennifer Griffin , Ph.D. is a Troop Commander for the Delaware State Police, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Delaware (UD), and a Performance and Mental Training Coach for the UD Div. 1 Women’s Field Hockey Team. She has over 20 years of law enforcement experience in a variety of assignments. She has a Doctorate from the University of Delaware Sociology / Criminal Justice Department, where she currently teaches five classes. Captain Griffin is a peer-reviewed author and presents nationally and internationally to include: China, Taiwan, and Canada. She is an FBI National Academy Associates

Comprehensive Officer Resiliency Program Master Instructor.

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