SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The Savannah Police Department is now offering some of their officers a special place to relax.

On Wednesday, the Northwest Precinct presented their team with a new Relaxation Room.

Northwest Precinct Capt. Shamonica Badie prepared the room so that officers can have a quiet, peaceful space where they could go, if they need to, during work hours.

“What compelled me to start this room was basically the loss that we experienced here as a precinct, as a department,” said Capt. Badie. “He was officer Brannan. He was a member of this precinct when he passed away, and for us, I think that was one of those things that you can never really prepare for. So, to create this was just to give the officers an outlet.”

“As an officer, she understands the stress and emotions that can happen after certain calls, such as calls involving serious car accidents, incidents involving vulnerable victims like children or elderly, deaths, or other high-stress calls,” said Bianca Johnson, Public Information Coordinator for SPD. “It allows them the opportunity to have a space to go and de-stress, have a quiet moment or clear their head before the next call.”

Capt. Badie worked with Pelindaba Lavender Savannah to create the room out of unused office space in the Northwest Precinct. Pelindaba Lavender Savannah donated items including a lavender oil diffuser, stuffed animals and paintings.

The room is still a work in progress that Capt. Badie hopes to see grow as officers continue to use the room and bring additional suggestions.

So far, she’s received positive feedback on the Relaxation Room.

“The officer said, ‘I went in there and just closed my eyes and tried to clear my head for 5 quick minutes Saturday night and it was a great refresher,'” stated Johnson.

SPD Detective Samantha Sosbe said, “This is something that’s very needed, not just in Savannah, but across the country and maybe even across the globe. Officers see things that most people see in movies, and they are there in real life every day back-to-back-to-back, and there’s not a chance for them to slow down. So having this at the precinct is there chance, either at the beginning of their shift or at the end to kind of sit down and come back to themselves.”

The Northwest Precinct’s Relaxation Room is the first of these at SPD, but other precincts may follow. Capt. Badie has shared the idea with the other precincts and hopes to see the idea spread as part of the department’s focus on officer mental health.

Until then, Capt. Badie has extended the use of the Relaxation Room to other precincts.

“All they have to do is call myself or my executive lieutenant and they are more than welcome to come over,” she said.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the health and wellness of police officers are critical to building healthy and safe communities as stress can increase fatigue to the point that decision-making is impaired, and officers cannot properly protect themselves nor citizens.