Navigating the Media Storm: Leadership, Crisis Communication & Officer Wellness with Chris ProchutNavigating the Media Storm: Leadership, Crisis Communication & Officer Wellness with Chris Prochut
No One Fights Alone
Former police commander Chris Prochut talks with host Kevin Thacker about how a high-profile case, media pressure and stigma pushed him to the brink of suicide. Their conversation highlights the cost of untreated stress, the barriers officers face in seeking help, and practical ways to build healthier support systems in policing.
56:15•28 Jul 2026
Media Firestorms, Silent Struggles and Staying Alive in the Job
Episode Overview
- Crisis communication training for routine incidents is very different from handling an international media storm, and the gap in preparation can fuel immense stress.
- Trying to “handle it all” alone nearly cost Chris his life; early, honest conversations with a counsellor or doctor could have changed his path much sooner.
- Fear of losing firearm rights and a policing career can stop officers seeking inpatient care, showing how policy can become a major barrier to wellness.
- Departments that normalise peer support, mandatory wellness checks and leaders openly using resources create safer space for officers to speak up.
- Sharing personal struggles first often encourages others to open up, breaking the silence that keeps many first responders suffering in isolation.
“Stop trying to handle life and the calls that you get on the job by yourself.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? Swap alcohol for adrenaline and you've got the life of many first responders, and this conversation shows just how costly that constant pressure can be.
Here, former police commander Chris Prochut sits down with stand‑in host Kevin Thacker to talk through the “perfect storm” that nearly ended his life: a missing‑person case that turned into international news, a media circus outside his own town, and the crushing belief that he had to control the story on his own.
As the public information officer during the high‑profile Drew and Stacey Peterson investigation, Chris was suddenly dealing with BBC crews, national headlines, and rumours branding his entire department as murderers. He describes how that relentless stress followed him home, drained his marriage, and pushed him to set a date for his own death.
One line hits hard: “I didn’t have the physical strength to take my gun from my side and pull the trigger at my head.” From there, he walks through his reluctant step into counselling, a rocky experience with medication, involuntary hospitalisation, and a later diagnosis of bipolar disorder. This isn’t a tidy redemption story; Chris talks honestly about losing his badge, his pension, his house and financial security, and how outdated firearm laws stopped him seeking help sooner.
Yet he also explains how sharing his experience has reached more than 18,000 officers and helped shift the culture around mental health and suicide in policing. Kevin and Chris aim this conversation squarely at first responders, their families, and leaders. You’ll hear practical ideas on peer support, mandatory wellness checks, culturally competent treatment, and how to make it normal to ask for help.
If you or someone you care about is carrying too much, their message is clear: stop trying to handle it alone — whose life might depend on you speaking up today?
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