Most people assume a police officer and a person sitting in a jail cell have nothing in common. Dr. Kareem Puranda has been both. He spent eight years carrying a badge. He also spent hours in a holding cell, asking himself how his career fell apart. That experience reshaped everything he believes about law enforcement mental health, and it sits at the center of his conversation on the latest episode of Justice Unfiltered.
Puranda joined host Tug Cowart and Daniel Matalon, CEO of A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds and A 2nd Chance Monitoring, for an honest talk about trauma, silence, and second chances. He is a former Salisbury, North Carolina, officer who became a licensed clinical mental health counselor. Today, he works with people on both sides of the law.
From the badge to the counseling office
Puranda grew up in the Bronx in the 1980s. He saw a lot before he had the words to call it trauma. Football carried him south to Livingstone College, where he won a Division II championship. Then came the police academy in 2002, and eight years on patrol.
His goal back then was simple. Retire as a chief.
That plan ended in a jail cell. Puranda has spoken openly about being indicted over a use-of-force incident during his time in law enforcement, and about standing in that cell with nothing but time to think. He describes it as the start of his turn toward counseling. In 2017 he opened Self-Talk Counseling and Consulting in Charlotte.
What changed for him? He realized he had been running on ego. Not the loud, look-at-me kind. The quiet kind that hides every weakness so no one can use it against you.
What the code of silence really means
Puranda named his book “Breaking the Code of Silence: A Cop’s Journey to Triumph and Truth.” The code, the way he tells it, is an unwritten rule. You agree to treat a lie as the truth.
He uses a blunt picture to explain it. There is a pile of manure in the room. Everybody smells it. Nobody says a word. Somebody even calls it the new cologne. That, he says, is the culture that a lot of officers learn early and carry for an entire career.
And the cost is real. When officers bury what they feel, it tends to leak out in other ways. Puranda connects that silence to higher rates of burnout, family strain, and use-of-force problems. He also raised a hard number on the show, pointing to more than 1,200 officers lost to suicide over the past decade. It is the kind of statistic that makes the case for talking instead of hiding.
Why officers stay silent about law enforcement mental health
So why don’t more officers ask for help? For his doctoral research, Puranda interviewed twelve officers about what held them back. He says every single one pointed to the same thing. Their leadership.
They worried about how their department would see them. They worried about losing the badge. So they said nothing.
His read is direct. If the people at the top do not treat mental health as normal, the officers on the front line will never feel safe enough to raise a hand. He compares some agencies to a dysfunctional family, with quiet roles and unspoken rules that pass down the ranks.
What officers and arrested people share
Cowart asked a sharp question. What do police officers and people who get arrested actually have in common? Puranda answered in two words. Survival mode.
Both groups, he says, often carry trauma. Sometimes it started in childhood. Sometimes it came from the job. Put two people in survival mode in the same tense moment, and things can go sideways fast. Seeing that pattern, he argues, is part of preventing it.
It is something the team at A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds sees all the time. Families reach out in a moment of crisis, not on their best day, and what they need first is someone steady on the other end of the phone. You can start the process to post bail at any hour of the day, and you can locate a loved one if you are not sure where to begin.
How to find help when you wear a badge
Puranda had practical advice for officers who want support but worry about the fallout. Be strategic.
He suggested paying privately for a therapist rather than going through an employer’s insurance, since some agencies can access those records. He pointed officers toward outside peer support groups that run independently of any department. And he named associations that can connect officers to resources:
- The Fraternal Order of Police
- NOBLE, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
- The National Sheriffs’ Association
The common thread is trust. Find a place where you can be honest without it costing you your job.
The second chance starts within
Near the end, the conversation circled back to the idea this show is built on. Second chances.
Puranda likes a phrase he credits to Jessica Lundy: borrowed belief. When you cannot believe in yourself yet, you borrow it from someone who believes in you. A coach. A mentor. A counselor. A church.
He sees it most clearly with the young people in his nonprofit, Achieving Success on Purpose. Many have never had a single adult tell them they can. One person who notices them and keeps showing up can change the whole story.
Daniel Matalon tied it back to the work at A 2nd Chance. One conversation, one resource, one person reaching out at the right time can break a cycle. That is what a real second chance looks like, and it is also what healthy law enforcement mental health support comes down to. You build it yourself, with help, out of what you learn along the way.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr. Kareem Puranda?
What is the code of silence in law enforcement?
Why do police officers avoid asking for mental health help?
Where can a first responder get mental health support privately?
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About A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds
A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds has been reuniting families for nearly 20 years. With multiple offices across Georgia and Alabama, our licensed bail bond agents are available around the clock to provide fast, respectful service to every family we work with. Whether the charge is a misdemeanor or a felony, we are here to help.
The information in this article is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or mental health treatment. It reflects a conversation with a guest and that guest’s personal views and experiences. Laws, procedures, and requirements in Georgia can change, and individual circumstances vary. If you have specific legal questions about your situation, please consult a licensed attorney in Georgia. A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds is a licensed bail bond agency, not a law firm. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. You can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
