Sergeant Mike McGrew

Expert Topics:

Personal story, trauma, and redemption
- Worked front lines on gruesome, inhuman crimes for decades, internalizing trauma instead of talking about it.
- Lived through failed marriages, addiction, cancer, one son’s death from cancer, and another son’s addiction—compounding work trauma with intense personal loss.
- Describes how self-destructive coping (alcohol and “fleshly desires”) failed to take away the pain, ultimately “eating him up from the inside.”
- Credits a profound Christian faith encounter and relationship with God as the turning point that brought healing and purpose out of despair.
- Now uses his story to show first responders, families, and audiences that post-traumatic stress injuries are wounds that can heal, not life sentences.
First responder mental health crisis
- Argues that many, if not most, first responders carry some level of post-traumatic stress injury due to repeated exposure to violence, death, and human cruelty.
- Highlights elevated rates of alcoholism, divorce, and suicide in law enforcement, fire, EMS, and military communities—and how stigma keeps many from seeking help.
- Emphasizes that first responders often “see things so bad you can’t tell anybody about it,” and are conditioned to shoulder it alone, which silently erodes mental health and families.
- Advocates for treating mental health care for first responders as essential “protective gear,” not a sign of weakness.
911 At Ease International mission and programs
- 911AEI provides free, confidential access to trauma‑informed clinicians for first responders and their immediate families, removing cost, judgment, and departmental red tape.
- Organization has expanded to multiple states with a growing network of clinicians, offering thousands of hours of counseling to police, fire, EMS, dispatch, and military.
- Stresses confidentiality and independence from the chain of command as key to getting first responders to actually use services.
- Developed “Project Harmony,” a retreat and music-based therapeutic platform where first responders use songwriting and performance to process trauma and reclaim their voices.
- Regularly features in news and faith-based media explaining how 911AEI responds after major disasters (wildfires, 9/11 anniversaries, large-scale tragedies) to care for front‑line personnel.
Policing, protests, and public trust

(From recent media / speaker positioning language.)
- Breaks down how law enforcement manages large-scale protests and civil unrest operationally: command structure, use-of-force decisions, and split-second choices under political and media pressure.
- Talks candidly about ethical dilemmas officers face when orders, politics, or optics collide with safety and justice on the street.
- Brings a veteran cop’s view to debates about police reform: acknowledges failures and abuses, but insists the solution is better training, leadership, mental health support, and community relationship-building, not blanket demonization of officers.
- Explains how untreated trauma in officers can contribute to burnout, bad decision-making, and negative encounters with the public—and how healing improves both officer wellness and community outcomes.
Faith, culture, and hope messaging
- Speaks openly as a Christian about how faith carried him through addiction, cancer, grief, and the loss of his child—and how it shapes the compassionate way he serves other wounded first responders.
- Frames first responders as men and women made in God’s image who need spiritual and emotional care, not just tactical training.
- Uses his own “rock bottom” to give hope to families who feel like they’ve lost their officer, spouse, or parent to trauma or addiction, pointing to redemption as possible even in worst-case scenarios.

Sergeant Mike McGrew

Founder of 911 At Ease International | 31-Year Veteran Law Enforcement Officer | Former Major Crimes Detective

31-year police veteran with Santa Barbara Police Department; served as major crimes homicide detective, hostage negotiator, and longtime police union president.
Co-founder, CEO & Executive Director of 911 At Ease International (911AEI), a nonprofit providing free, confidential, trauma‑informed counseling for first responders and their families.
Third‑generation first responder, son of a longtime Santa Barbara fire chief, giving him deep family-level insight into first responder culture.
Author of A Higher Call to Duty, his true-life story of trauma, destructive coping, faith, and redemption.
Major Crimes Homicide Detective
Hostage Negotiator
President of the Police Officers Association

Contact Us

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Bio

Sgt. Mike McGrew is a retired, highly decorated police sergeant, author, and co‑founder of 911 At Ease International whose life story moves from unimaginable trauma and self‑destruction to faith, healing, and advocacy for first responders.

Over a 31‑year career with the Santa Barbara Police Department, McGrew served as a major crimes detective and front‑line officer, routinely encountering homicide scenes, violent assaults, and other trauma‑inducing incidents that left deep emotional scars. The son of a respected fire chief, he grew up in a family committed to public service and carried that legacy into his own work in law enforcement. While he protected his community from the “bad intentions of others,” he found himself unprotected from mounting personal pain: failed marriages, his own battle with life‑threatening cancer, the death of his youngest son from cancer, and his eldest son’s struggle with addiction. In response, McGrew turned to alcohol and other unhealthy behaviors, bottling up the horrors he witnessed on the job until the darkness “ate him up from the inside,” a spiral he later recognized as part of a broader pattern of post‑traumatic stress injury among his colleagues.

At his lowest point, McGrew experienced a profound encounter with God that he credits with rescuing him from despair and giving him a new purpose. His faith journey, detailed in his book A Higher Call to Duty, is marked by what he describes as supernatural miracles, confrontations with real evil on the streets, and God’s constant faithfulness in the midst of chaos. Today he is known as a candid storyteller and evangelist who shares only what he has personally lived through, using his experiences to bring hope to audiences wrestling with grief, addiction, and trauma.

Since retiring from law enforcement, McGrew has become a sought‑after public speaker and subject‑matter expert on post‑traumatic stress injury (PTSI) in the first responder community. Seeing firsthand the toll that trauma takes on officers, firefighters, dispatchers, and their families—reflected in elevated rates of alcoholism, divorce, and suicide—he co‑founded 911 At Ease International (911AEI). The organization provides free, confidential access to trauma‑informed counseling for first responders and their families, with a mission to see them experience freedom from traumatic stress injuries, renewed hope in their marriages, and refreshment in their professional lives. Through his book, public speaking, and leadership at 911AEI, Sgt. Mike McGrew now dedicates his life to helping others find the same redemption, peace, and healing he discovered in the midst of his own worst battles.

Videos

Projects

911 At Ease International (911AEI) is a nonprofit project that gives first responders and their families fast, free, and confidential mental health support so they can stay healthy while serving on the front lines.

Founded in 2014 by retired Santa Barbara Police Sergeant Mike McGrew and philanthropist Michael Armand Hammer, the project began as a simple “At Ease” program under the Santa Barbara Police Foundation to meet a critical need: trusted counseling that would not threaten a first responder’s career or reputation. It offered what departments often could not—immediate access to culturally competent clinicians, at no cost, with no insurance requirements, and complete privacy from employers or agencies. Word of mouth spread as officers, and later other first responders, shared how the program helped them process trauma, reconnect with their families, and return to duty stronger. By 2020 it had grown into an independent national nonprofit, expanding beyond law enforcement to serve firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, and other frontline personnel across multiple states.

At the heart of the 911 At Ease project is a network of trauma‑informed clinicians who understand first responder culture and provide counseling tailored to chronic exposure to crisis, violence, and loss. Services include one‑on‑one and family counseling, critical incident response around major events, family support resources, and “therapeutic music intervention” through 911 Project Harmony. Project Harmony uses songwriting, performance, and music retreats to help first responders give voice to their experiences, process grief, and build resilience in a creative, community‑building environment. Across all offerings, the core values remain the same: strict confidentiality, zero cost, trauma‑informed care, and deep respect for the service and sacrifice of first responders and their loved ones.

Today, 911 At Ease International is recognized as a national leader in non‑traditional mental health access for first responders, led by people who have served themselves. McGrew now serves as CEO & Executive Director, joined by his father, retired Fire Chief Warner McGrew, and a board of public safety, business, and community leaders who work to expand the project’s reach. Their vision is that no first responder or family member has to suffer in silence with post‑traumatic stress injuries, anxiety, depression, or the relational fallout of the job, because confidential, compassionate help is always within reach.

Articles

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