By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

James T. Reese addresses about 200 law enforcement professionals about stress Tuesday at Butler Tech Center in Fairfield Township. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

FAIRFIELD TWP. - A retired FBI agent offers a simple but powerful piece of advice to police, prosecutors and dispatchers: They can be better public servants if they take better care of themselves.

James T. Reese, a retired FBI agent and expert in coping with traumatic stress, used poignancy, wit and life examples to illustrate "Success Without Stress" for more than 200 Butler County law-enforcement professionals Tuesday at Butler Technology and Career Development Center.

"He is humorous, relates exceptionally well to cops, but more importantly, he has some great axioms for us to live by to reduce the stress in our lives," wrote Oxford Police Chief Stephan Schwein, in recommending that the county police chiefs sponsor Reese's presentation.

Reese emphasized: "Can you get up in the morning and be of service to other people?... You can't do it with anger, and you can't do it with an attitude. ... Today, I'm asking you to take care of yourself first, so you can take better care of others."

Hamilton Police Sgt. Ed Buns said that message resonated with him and other officers who attended the program, noting studies have shown emergency personnel have high rates of suicide, domestic violence and substance abuse - and lower life expectancies - "and most doctors will tell you it's because of the stress of the job."

Buns said he thought the program was valuable because "it's not the typical program that's given on how to deal with stress. He uses humor to make you think about yourself."

To illustrate the importance of setting goals and moving away from the past, Reese asked how many people in the audience use a rear-view mirror to watch where they're going - then said, "You can't stare at where you've been and expect to know where you're going!" Reese emphasized the importance of paying more attention to loved ones, having a stress-release outlet and taking time to evaluate the relative importance of events - ranging from a lady angry about a speeding ticket to something as perspective-altering as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Craig Hedric said he was skeptical at the outset of Reese's program, thinking, "Yeah, another seminar, another guy who's going to tell me how to live my life." But afterward, Hedric said, "This guy was pretty enlightening. ... I walked out of there with some things that I can apply in my life. ... The things he said, I think, will help anyone who listened to put things into better perspective."

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com