The Soundness Initiative

Heading into strategic planning for the POCUA in 2018, it became clear that in its 15th year the organization needed to adopt two new objectives to its mission in order to continue our growth. The first is to provide a clear voice of support for law enforcement throughout the country. In a world where some groups and individuals vehemently vilify police officers, the members and business partners of the POCUA are here to support and show allegiance with law enforcement professionals and their families.

Second, in order to grow the POCUA needs to actively drive business to its Member Credit Unions and Business Partners. It has become clear that many in law enforcement are not aware that there are institutions whose purpose is to serve police officers and their families. Therefore, the POCUA has begun to actively create brand awareness and tactics to increase business for our members.

What is the Soundness Initiative?

The Law Enforcement Soundness Summits

Intersecting Partners and Members for Support of Law Enforcement

The embrace of the two objectives above, coupled with the recommitment of our original mission of collaboration, led to The Soundness Initiative. This is the endeavor of providing Four Pillars of Soundness for Law Enforcement Professionals and their Families. The Four Pillars, in no particular order, are as follows: Financial, Physical, Emotional, and Professional.

One of the primary intents of the Soundness Initiative is to provide Soundness Summits throughout the country that will accomplish the following:

  1. Provide education and guidance to law-enforcement families in each area of all four Soundness Pillars – Financial, Physical, Emotional, and Professional

  2. Make available Soundness Stations whereby experts on one or more of the Soundness Pillars can offer advice, guidance, products, services, or further assistance beyond the day of the event.

  3. To highlight all or select POCUA Police Credit Unions, POCUA Business Partners, and POCUA Police Partners.

In regard to POCUA Police Partners, the advent of this program was an unexpected and positive offshoot of launching the Soundness Initiative. As we embarked on developing and scheduling the Soundness Summits we found that there are a number of organizations doing something similar, or a portion of something similar, to what the POCUA wishes to offer. Some of these groups are providing guidance locally or regionally. Others are doing so nationally but possibly on a small scale. All, however, are offering value to law enforcement professionals in some manner. It quickly became clear that, rather than re-creating a program that was already being offered all or in part, it would be wise to collaborate with these organizations with the purpose of cooperating to develop Soundness Summits together. Thus, the Police Partner program was born in late 2018 as one of the first steps to launch the Soundness Initiative.