JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
First responders are often exposed to gruesome and traumatic events, and that puts them at higher risk of mental health struggles. That's what happened to Vinnie Montez. As NPR's Lakshmi Singh reports, the police veteran spent years privately battling depression until he found a lifeline in the most unlikely of places, the comedy stage.
LAKSHMI SINGH, BYLINE: Most cops try to leave the job at the office when they're off duty, but Vinnie Montez isn't your average cop. He's a stand-up comic.
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VINNIE MONTEZ: Millennial cops are entering the police force.
(LAUGHTER)
SINGH: Here he is doing a live show for the Dry Bar Comedy special based in Provo, Utah.
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MONTEZ: There's a DUI report, and it was nothing but emojis...
(LAUGHTER)
MONTEZ: ...Drunk emoji, drunk emoji. Get to the jail - poop emoji, poop emoji.
(LAUGHTER)
SINGH: Montez is a burly guy. He shares bizarre tales onstage of working for the Boulder County Sheriff's Office in Colorado.
MONTEZ: The number one question I get asked when I get offstage is, are you really a cop? 'Cause I've never met a funny cop. And I love the fact that I can take a room and make everybody laugh and feel good. And my favorite comments - hey, I really had a really tough week - especially from somebody in the EMS field - and, man, I needed to laugh.
SINGH: Montez has spent nearly 30 years in law enforcement, most of that time as a deputy. Now he's the public information officer. On the job, Montez has responded to wildfires, shootings and deadly accidents. And each time he did what other officers had done - moved on to the next crisis. Then one night in 2008, there was a vehicle accident. There was a teenager, and despite Montez's desperate efforts, the teen died. Montez said he hit a breaking point.
MONTEZ: I was going to dinner with my better half and sitting across from her and watching people have dinner and smiling - people I didn't know. But I was angry with them. I was mad. I'm like, why are you so happy? 'Cause I was so miserable inside.
SINGH: That's not uncommon. Police officers are at higher risk of experiencing mental health issues such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2024 study. Another survey shows more than a third struggle with anxiety or panic attacks. And experts say, even though there's more access to mental health resources today, the stigma around asking for help is still a powerful deterrent. Montez went to therapy, but he was looking for more, and he found comedy. Laurence Miller, a police psychologist based in Boca Raton, Florida, says what Montez is doing makes perfect sense.
LAURENCE MILLER: Humor relies on a sense of irony, which means that you're able to see an event from more than one perspective. And if someone has been in a traumatic experience, one of the perspectives they try to get is a way of distancing themselves emotionally from the trauma, and humor allows us to do that.
SINGH: A lot of Montez's fans are other first responders. He says being on stage, talking about some of the darker elements of the job helps them feel less alone.
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SINGH: Of course, on stage, Montez rarely passes up a chance to poke fun at anyone who might have annoyed him when he was out on patrol, especially if they're outdoorsy, die-hard loyalists of the Subaru.
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MONTEZ: Any Subaru drivers in here tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: No.
MONTEZ: Shut up. Nobody cares.
(LAUGHTER)
SINGH: Montez hopes to keep the jokes and the healing going when he shares the stage with other first responders in the national Heroes Off Duty Comedy Tour starting in January.
Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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