CRITICAL ISSUES IN POLICING SERIES An Occupational Risk: What Every Police Agency Should Do To Prevent Suicide Among Its Officers CRITICAL ISSUES IN POLICING SERIES An Occupational Risk: What Every Police Agency Should Do To Prevent Suicide Among Its Officers October 2019 This publication was supported by the Motorola Solutions Foundation. The points of view expressed herein are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Motorola Solutions Foundation or all Police Executive Research Forum members. Police Executive Research Forum, Washington, D.C. 20036 Copyright © 2019 by Police Executive Research Forum All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-934485-54-5 Graphic design by Dave Williams. Text photos by Matthew Bencivenga/NYPD. Contents Acknowledgments ...................................................... 1 Sidebar: The Impact of Organizational, Operational, Occupational, and Family Variables on Officer Suicide .... 23 Sidebar: Suicide Among Retired Officers .......................... 24 Executive Summary: We Need to Make Availability of Firearms ................................................... 25 the Prevention of Police Suicides a National Priority .....................................3 Warning Signs ....................................................................25 Turning Research into Action ..........................................26 Addressing the Crisis of Law Enforcement Suicide ........ 4 Sidebar: A Montréal Police Program Reduced What Research Can Tell Us about Law Enforcement Officer Suicide Rate by 79 Percent ................................... 27 Suicide ................................................................................... 4 Promising Strategies and Programs .................................. 5 Part Two: 10 Recommended Actions Law Enforcement Leaders Play a Crucial Role in Reducing Stigma ............................................................. 6 to Prevent Suicide Among Police Officers ...........................29 10 Recommended Actions for Preventing Officer Suicides ................................................ 7 Recommended Action 1: Data Collection .....................29 A National Commitment to Suicide Prevention ............. 8 Sidebar: National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) Program; National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) ............................................. 30 Message from New York City Police Recommended Action 2: Psychological Autopsies .......31 Commissioner James P. O’Neill ..............9 Sidebar: Elements of a Psychological Autopsy .................. 31 Sidebar: How the NYPD and LAPD Use Psychological Part One: Research, Risk Factors for Autopsies .......................................................................... 32 Suicide, and Challenges .........................11 Recommended Action 3: Routine Mental Health Checks .................................................................................34 What the Data Tell Us about Suicide ..............................11 Implementing effective mental health National Statistics on Suicide ........................................ 11 check programs .............................................................. 35 Sidebar: Blue H.E.L.P. Collects Data on Sidebar: Fairfax County, VA Survey Led to Officer Suicides and Assists Families .................................12 Mandatory Mental Health Checks ................................... 36 Sidebar: Police Suicides: Recommended Action 4: Leadership from the Top ......37 An International Perspective ............................................15 Recommended Action 5: Gun Removal Policy .............38 What We Know about Suicide Risk Factors ...................17 Sidebar: How Chicago Addressed a Technicality Stigma Against Seeking Mental Health Care ................ 17 in Illinois Law that Was Affecting Officers Sidebar: Stories of Three Officers Who Seeking Mental Health .................................................... 39 Have Experienced Suicidal Thoughts— Recommended Action 6: Confidential Support and What We Can Learn from Them ............................... 18 Programs and Training .....................................................41 Masking .......................................................................... 21 Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) .......................... 41 Cumulative Effects of Trauma ........................................ 21 Maintaining Confidentiality ............................................ 43 Depression ...................................................................... 22 Peer Support Units ......................................................... 44 Alcohol Abuse and PTSD ............................................... 22 The Boston Police Department’s Peer Support Unit .... 44 NYPD’s POPPA Program ............................................... 44 Recommended Action 9: Family Support ......................51 Sidebar: Boston’s LEADER program ................................ 45 Recommended Action 10: Communications Plan .......52 Sidebar: The Role of Resilience in Combating Suicide ...... 46 Sidebar: Thoughtless news coverage can Recommended Action 7: Easy-to-Access Tools ............47 increase the likelihood of additional suicides ..................... 53 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Interactive Screening Program. ...................................... 47 Conclusion: Action to Prevent Police Cordico Shield mobile wellness app .............................. 49 Officer Suicides Is Overdue ...................54 Crisis Text Line ................................................................ 49 Recommended Action 8: Regional Partnerships ..........50 About PERF ........................................................................56 Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement About the Motorola Solutions Foundation ....................57 Council ............................................................................ 50 Prince William County, VA Wellness and Appendix: Participants at the Critical Issues Resiliency Unit ................................................................ 50 Meeting, “Suicide Among Members of Western New York Police Hotline .................................. 50 Law Enforcement Agencies” ............................................58 Acknowledgments Suicide among members of law enforce- The NYPD also was instrumental in helping ment is not an easy topic to approach. It is sad and PERF develop the agenda, ensuring we had the best painful on many levels. It is challenging to research experts in the room, and facilitating a productive and, therefore, difficult to understand. Many people dialogue. Commissioner O’Neill and other mem- find it hard even to talk about the subject. bers of the NYPD made presentations and contrib- But it is imperative that we do talk about the uted to the discussion at our meeting. While there problem, try to understand it more fully, and find are too many people to acknowledge individually, a new ideas for preventing suicide among our officers, few deserve special recognition for their support of because officer suicide is a national crisis. More -offi this project: First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin cers die by suicide each year than are killed in the line Tucker; Chief of Department Terence Monahan; of duty. Nationwide, the risk of suicide among police Chief of Strategic Services John Donohue; Chief of officers is 54 percent greater than among American Patrol Rodney Harrison; Deputy Commissioner workers in general. This is why PERF decided to take Robert Ganley; Assistant Commissioner Maria on this issue as part of our Critical Issues in Policing Otero; Deputy Inspector Kenneth Quick; Lieuten- series. ant Janna Salisbury; and Detective Jeff Thompson, As PERF started researching officer suicide, we whose knowledge and experience in this area were knew that it would be helpful to have a police agency instrumental in putting together the entire program. working with us—a department that understood the Thanks go to every member of the NYPD who helped issue and was already undertaking new approaches PERF on this project. to it. When I asked New York City Police Commis- I am also grateful to the four leading researchers sioner James O’Neill about partnering with us, he on police suicide who participated in the meeting and did not hesitate in saying yes. The NYPD has faced shared their insights: Dr. John Violanti of the Univer- enormous challenges with officer suicide; as of early sity of Buffalo; Dr. Miriam Heyman of the Ruderman October, nine officers have taken their lives in 2019, Family Foundation; Dr. John Mann of Columbia which is roughly three times higher than the average University Medical Center; and Dr. Antoon Leen- in recent years. The department has devoted tremen- aars, a mental health and forensic psychologist from dous energy and resources to addressing the prob- Windsor, Canada. Their presentations at the begin- lem, and the NYPD has had the courage to talk about ning of the meeting provided a solid foundation for it openly and honestly. our understanding of police suicide. The NYPD was an invaluable partner through- We were also fortunate to have representatives out this project. For our national conference on sui- from many of the leading research, advocacy, and cide prevention on April 2, 2019, the department support organizations participate in our conference, provided the venue—its auditorium at One Police including the American Association of