NCJ Number
255079
Date Published
June 2019
Length
2 pages
Annotation
After a brief statement of some facts on the suicide of law enforcement officers, this brief reports on the functions of the newly created National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide.
Abstract
The brief first notes three facts about police suicide. First, law enforcement officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. Second, officer suicides often go misreported or unreported. Third, shame and stigma often prevent law enforcement officers from accessing mental health services that can prevent suicide. The National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide is a program of the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA's) National Officer Safety Initiatives and the International Association of Chiefs of Police in partnership with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The Consortium will lead a national conversation on the issues of officer mental health and suicide. In providing a national voice to address the mental health needs of law enforcement officers, the Consortium will solicit the cooperation of experts from law enforcement agencies and families, mental health and suicide prevention services, and academia. This comprehensive effort is intended to raise awareness of and prevent the suicide of law enforcement officers. Some of the anticipated benefits from the Consortium are suicide awareness and prevention tools and resources for law enforcement officers, agencies, and officer family members; an anonymous online platform for collecting data and information on officer suicide trends; best-practices recommendations; policy updates; and messaging strategies.
Date Published: June 1, 2019