Twenty-nine Menlo Park Police Department personnel will go to Bend, Oregon, for a three-day "mindfulness" training program in April at a cost to the city of $59,000.

The Menlo Park City Council approved, without discussion, the expenditure on Jan. 24.

The Police Department plans for all of its staff to go through the 16- to 20-hour training program sometime in the next 18 to 24 months, which is expected to cost a total of $177,000 (including the $59,000). That cost would cover course fees and overtime pay. Future trainings may be held closer to Menlo Park, Police Chief Bob Jonsen said.

The program, called "Resilience Immersion Training," will be facilitated by Richard Goerling, a police lieutenant in Bend, Oregon. It teaches law enforcement officials routines and exercises like yoga and meditation that can help them stay calm or focused, Chief Jonsen said. He called it the "most re-energizing training I've been to in my entire career."