It is National Suicide Prevention Week and Month. There are lots of resources out there to help you. Now is a time to act!
Last year was the first year that the number of reported law enforcement suicides exceeded the number of Line of Duty Deaths. It’s happening again this year.
As of September 9, 2019 Blue H.E.L.P. has verified 142 suicides while the NLEOMF has only reported 83 Line of Duty Deaths.
So what are you willing to do to stop this problem from happening at your agency?
Do you have a suicide prevention program in your agency?
Well, you no longer have an excuse for not having a program. With a video produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Working Minds Program and the Carson J Spencer Foundation, and our CopsAlive.com roll call discussion guide you can create a ready made program the moment you finish reading this page.
Create your own police suicide prevention training… program in just 3 Easy Steps:
1. Download the video or show it to your roll call or staff group from your laptop.
2. Pair it with our CopsAlive.com 10 Minute Roll Call Discussion Guide “Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention – Take Charge” or the longer discussion guide produced by the Carson J Spencer Foundation.
3. Establish your plan for any interventions and post the Safe Call Now crisis hotline for first responders phone number 1–206–459–3020 around your agency.
This video “Breaking the Silence: Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement” was posted on YouTube by Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas the Former Executive Director of the Carson J Spencer Foundation through their work with the Working Minds suicide prevention organization, the Denver PD and Kenosha PD. You can access the above video on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-mDvJIU9RI&feature=youtu.be
Download our 10 minute roll call discussion guide on stress management entitled: “Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention – Take Charge” by CLICKING HERE.
Download the Breaking The Silence: Suicide Prevention For Law Enforcement Discussion Guide by CLICKING HERE.
All discussion about suicide prevention should be discussed while also mentioning your available mental health and treatment resources and a crisis hotline.
If you need an anonymous hotline, I recommend Safe Call Now the crisis hotline specifically for first responders and our families at 1–206–459–3020.
Safe Call Now provides public safety employees, all emergency services personnel and their family members nationwide with a simple and confidential way to ask for help. Staffed by officers, former law enforcement officers and public safety professionals, Safe Call Now is a safe place to turn to get help from individuals who understand the demands of a law enforcement career. These trained call-takers will provide assistance and referrals for any public safety personnel and their families who are experiencing an emotional crisis or desire a need for someone to listen. Legislation was passed in 2009 which maintains confidentiality for public safety professionals nationwide when they call Safe Call Now for help. Safe Call Now is also a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is not funded at the state or federal levels.
You can find out more about Safe Call Now on their website at: www.SafeCallNow.org
You can always find a full list of suicide prevention resources on CopsAlive.com at: https://www.copsalive.com/suicideprevention/
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) and its hundreds of public-private partners are once again uniting during suicide prevention month (#SPM19) to highlight the importance of being there for the people in our lives. Join the Action Alliance to help educate the public about actions anyone, anywhere can take to help someone feel more hopeful, engage in help-seeking behaviors, and experience recovery. Get involved today!
Visit the Action Alliance’s #BeThere web page to learn more about our efforts and the efforts of our partners.
In addition, Action Alliance partner, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, is once again providing its Suicide Prevention Month Ideas for Action resource online at: http://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/suicide-prevention-month-ideas-action
We have a problem in our profession and WE need to take some action now to turn the tide on suicide. Please use some of this information to get involved and make something positive happen today! Thank you and stay safe!
#armoryourself #copsalive #lawenforcementsurvivalinstitute #BeThere4FirstResponders #BetterTogether #BetterTogether #SPM2019
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At The Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) we train law enforcement officers to cope with stress and manage all the toxic effects and hidden dangers of a career in law enforcement.
Our “Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement” on-site training program is an eight hour, hands-on, “How to” seminar based upon John Marx’ book of the same name. This seminar helps police officers and other law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to build Tactical Resilience™ and survive their careers in police work. To learn more CLICK HERE. To learn about and buy the book CLICK HERE.
The concept of “True Blue Valor™” is where one law enforcement officer has to muster the courage to confront a peer who is slipping both professionally and personally and endangering themselves, their peers and the public. It takes a system of organizational support and professional leadership to support and foster the concept of courage and intervention. We will train your trainers to deliver this program to your agency.
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I’m John Marx, Founder of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute and the Editor of CopsAlive.com. Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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