Lieutenant LaBard is a lifelong resident of Montana and has been with the Great Falls Police Department since 2000. In April 2003, Lieutenant LaBard became a Field Training Officer and was directly involved with training newly hired officers for the next decade. He also spent 6 years as a K-9 handler, working a dual-purpose (patrol/narcotic) Belgian Malinois (pronounced: MAL-en-wah). For the first 22 years of his career, he served in the Patrol Services Bureau, working his way up to the rank of Lieutenant. At that time, he was an active Firearms Instructor and one of the department’s leading experts on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). Currently, Lieutenant Labard is serving in the Support Services Bureau in the Hiring and Recruiting Office. He is responsible for facilitating the hiring processes of all sworn employees as well as supervising all background investigations for both sworn and civilian employees of the agency. He has taught officers and civilians around the country the dangers of mishandling the stresses of the job and how to maintain and increase officer resilience for over a decade. Rich has spoken to numerous organizations including the MTLEIRA conference (law enforcement records associations), the Montana Executive Leadership Institute, the Montana Police Protective Association, the Montana Board of Crime Control, the Montana TacCommander’s Conference, as well as dozens of law enforcement agencies across the state. He worked with Northeastern University (MA) and the US Office of Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, to help develop and pilot a Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) to assist Law Enforcement, Fire Services, Emergency Medical Services, and Victim Services become more trauma-informed. He has also taught as a consultant on the subject of PTSD and officer resilience for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He is a vocal advocate for maintaining a healthy work/life balance and the importance of a strong support network outside of police work.