January 15, 2025 7 min read

Prioritizing Wellness: A Conversation with Chief Barley of Hartselle PD
Industry:
Solution:

In an era where the demands of law enforcement continue to grow more complex and challenging, prioritizing the wellness of those who serve on the front lines has never been more critical. Chief Justin Barley of Hartselle (AL) Police Department understands this all too well.
With decades of experience in policing, he has become a vocal advocate for prioritizing wellness initiatives at law enforcement agencies. In a recent conversation with Vector Solutions, Chief Barley sheds light on why officer wellness is a cornerstone of effective policing, fostering safer communities, and healthier work environments.
Hartselle PD and Vector Solutions
Hartselle PD has been a Vector Solutions customer since 2020. Chief Barley was appointed in 2019 and was highly involved in the decision to acquire Guardian Tracking, Vector’s early intervention system, conduct management, and positive recognition law enforcement software. According to Chief Barley, the positive recognition features were what drew the department to the software.
“We only tend to document things when they’re negative, when they go wrong. But why not change that?” he said. “We know 80% or more of the things that do happen are positive…[Positive Recognition] is very beneficial for our employees.”
While the department was first drawn to Guardian Tracking because of its morale-boosting positive recognition features, the department soon began to utilize the system in other ways as well.
“We started adding to the platform where we had needs unrelated to wellness, like use of force,” Chief Barley said.
Additionally, the agency also utilizes Guardian Tracking for their Officer of the Quarter program. Officers can submit nominations through the platform and while not every nomination will win, every nomination is then permanently documented, ensuring those nominations are considered during yearly performance reviews and when considering officers for promotion.
“For the officers who are doing the right thing day in and day out consistently, it starts painting a very good picture of what kind of officer they are,” he said.
Guardian Tracking has also given the agency an easy way to ensure officers are provided with continuous feedback on their performance and an improved quarterly review experience for supervisors and officers. In doing so, the agency is supporting professional and personal success.
“Because of the things we deal with, I think we become conditioned to expect the worst. So, I think having regular feedback really goes a long way to combat that and help keep spirits and moral high and anxiety or concern about performance down,” Chief Barley said. “When you’re happy and successful at work, it bleeds into other areas of your life.”
The Past and Present of Wellness in Law Enforcement
There is no question that policing is a physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing profession. Public safety personnel have been shown to have a higher rate of psychological health problems than the general public, with one in seven police officers worldwide suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression.
In times past, officers had to silently carry that burden alone. But more recently, there has been a fundamental shift in the way wellness is perceived and prioritized by law enforcement agencies.
“I have been on the job for 27 years and I’ve seen a lot of changes along the way. Historically, there was a stigma of not being tough if you let certain things impact you. And there was a fear that if you went to your employer and told them that you were struggling with mental health issues or substance abuse, that you were going to lose your job. There just wasn’t a culture of confiding in one another about the things you were going through.”
Now, law enforcement leaders like Chief Barley are prioritizing wellness and providing the support officers need to enjoy long, successful careers and happy retirements.
“I think what finally came to everybody’s attention was when they started digging into the statistics on suicide rates for first responders,” he said. “We know they are grossly underreported and yet the numbers we do see are still extremely concerning.”
In addition to mental wellness concerns, Chief Barley is also passionate about supporting his officers’ physical health.
“Sleep deprivation, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, the list goes on. And then of course substance abuse and relationship problems….When you start diving into these things you can see that a lot of it is the result of cumulative stress. A totality of things that you encounter over the course of a career,” he said.
How Chief Barley Supports Wellness at Hartselle PD
For Chief Barley, his passion for supporting officer wellness grew from the realization that there were so many things out of his control.
“I’m accountable and responsible for so many things and yet, so many things can happen that I just don’t have any control over. We provide the very best training we can, we have policies and procedures in place to keep them safe, but…I can never totally isolate or shield our officers from being exposed to trauma or negative circumstances. That’s part of the job,” he said.
As a result, Chief Barley focuses on what he can control: the resources and tools he provides his officers.
“You quickly figure out that it’s not a problem unique to you, it’s an industry-wide concern,” he said. “The pendulum seems to be shifting, and I want to be a part of the solution.”
In addition to using Guardian Tracking to boost morale with positive recognition and ensure continuous feedback, the department also utilizes an anonymous wellness app to provide mental health resources, has a peer support program, and provides officers with access to exercise equipment to support physical fitness and health.
Chief Barley has also worked to educate himself on matters related to wellness and help other law enforcement professionals become more comfortable discussing these matters.
“I felt like more people would be comfortable having those conversations if they saw that I was comfortable,” he said.
He has also worked to garner the support of other veteran officers at his department and ensure everyone is comfortable having conversations about wellness with their supervisors and peers.
“Everybody here knows and understands that we care about them and their wellness, not only at work but also at home,” Chief Barley said. “And they know how to access the tools that are there to help them.”
As Chief Barley prepares to retire in early 2025 from a distinguished career in law enforcement, his passion for wellness will continue to guide and influence the department, helping Hartselle PD officers achieve long, healthy, and successful careers for years to come.

Chief Justin Barley was appointed in January 2019 to lead the Hartselle Police Department. Hartselle, Alabama, is a growing community of 15,600 residents located an hour north of Birmingham and thirty minutes from Huntsville. Chief Barley joined the department in January 1999 and has served across various divisions, including Patrol, Community Services, Narcotics, and Criminal Investigations. He holds a Bachelor’s in Public Safety Administration from Athens State University, a Master’s in Justice and Public Safety from Auburn University Montgomery, and is a graduate of the 235th session of the FBI National Academy. Chief Barley is recognized as a Certified Police Chief by the Alabama Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Commission and the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police.
A strong advocate for officer wellness and mental health initiatives, Chief Barley also serves as a certified peer support team member with the Alabama Law Enforcement Alliance for Peer Support (ALLEAPS). After 27 years of service, Chief Barley has announced his retirement, effective at the end of January 2025.
Vector Solutions’ suite of industry-leading software solutions includes training management systems, online training courses, FTO and live skill evaluations, academy automation, equipment and inventory management, shift scheduling, and an early intervention and conduct management system.