HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The Huntersville Police Department chief is requesting the termination of Officer Michael Ciarleglio after he was accused of showing up to work drunk.
This case highlights a broader push for more options to help law enforcement officers cope with stress, an issue experts say often leads to substance abuse.
Officer Ciarleglio was charged with driving while impaired. The incident underscores concerns about officer mental wellness and the need for supportive programs within police departments.
Law enforcement can be an exciting career, but it is also full of stress. Some experts indicate that substance abuse is a significant problem in the profession, with studies showing that approximately 25% of officers cope with stress by drinking.
To address these challenges, the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police is providing grants to smaller departments for employee assistance programs.
One of the goals of these programs is to enable departments to track behavior patterns among officers, allowing for early intervention.
Dr. Kareem Puranda, a mental health counselor and former police officer, spoke about the unhealthy state officers can find themselves in.
“They think they are supposed to live in that state in order to stay ahead of the bad guy or to stay alive, and it’s really unhealthy, so they don’t know they have a problem until it’s too late,” Dr. Puranda said.
Fonda Bryant, a suicide prevention advocate who has trained officers on mental health wellness issues for years, believes the incident involving Officer Ciarleglio was a cry for help.
“I have to believe that when he came to work drunk, and they smelled it. That this was like, please help me, please help me,” Bryant said. She and other experts note it is not unusual for officers to self-medicate to deal with the trauma they witness.
Bryant detailed the kinds of traumatic events officers regularly encounter. She described how they “see car accidents with death, homicides, crimes against children, domestic violence, suicides and say ok it’s not a big deal and go home.”
Bill Hollingsed, director of the NCACP, emphasized that the grants for employee assistance programs are intended to be preventative, not punitive.
“Not meant to be punitive; it was meant to save the career of an officer,” Hollingsed said.
He added that tracking officer patterns can facilitate intervention before situations escalate.
Hollingsed explained that departments “Can look for abuse of sick time or absenteeism patterns where they may not come into work every Monday morning if they are off every weekend.”
Regarding the chief’s decision, Dr. Puranda stated that it was a necessary step for public trust.
“So it’s deserving that the chief took the action that he did because hopefully it secures that community trust,” Dr. Puranda said.
When asked whether Officer Ciarleglio was given a treatment option, the Huntersville police chief cited privacy laws, stating that they prevented him from answering the question.
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