Suicide Prevention Begins With Courageous Captains

Preventing suicides begins in your own house! 
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 9, 2018

In case you forgot what being a Captain is,
Definition of captain

1 a (1) : a military leader : the commander of a unit or a body of troops
(2) : a subordinate officer commanding under a sovereign or general
(3) : a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major

b (1) : a naval officer who is master or commander of a ship
(2) : a commissioned officer in the navy ranking above a commander and below a commodore and in the coast guard ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral
c : a senior pilot who commands the crew of an airplane
d : an officer in a police department or fire department in charge of a unit (such as a precinct or company) and usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief

Considering that military suicides have averaged about 500 a year since 2012, while combat deaths within the same years were much lower, it is time for Captains to step up.

Considering that law enforcement suicides have gone up, while deaths in the line of duty have not gone up the same way, time for Captains to step up.

It isn't as if no one has been talking about this. This report from AP came out in 2008. Yes! 2008, ten years ago!


Considering firefighters are committing suicide in higher numbers, according to a report from CBS, emergency responders are ten times more likely to commit suicide and that came from Emergency Medical Services. 

Battalion Chief Erik Sutton and Battalion Chief David Dangerfield, posted about firefighters and PTSD, before he committed suicide, among many more, are still finding it hard to ask for help.

How many will it take before Captains get some courage to actually do something that will get rid of the stigma?

81% of the firefighters feared they would be seen as weak according to an NBC survey.

Is it that they are under some kind of delusion that the people under them are no longer the kind of people who would die to save someone else? Do they know their own people?

If the stigma of PTSD among those who would die for the sake of someone else is still stronger than the events they face on a daily basis, then the Captains and other leaders need to start figuring out how they need to change the message.

The only way to do that is to actually find out what PTSD is and the difference between what civilians get from one event AND THE TYPE OF PTSD RESPONDERS GET FROM FACING DEATH RESPONDING TO THE OTHERS THEY WOULD DIE FOR!

This isn't rocket science but it is common sense. When we have so many still taking their own lives after all these years, they ran out of excuses!

Police Officer Lost Battle For His Own Life

Lancaster police officer's death ruled a suicide; first responders urged to get help 
York Daily Record 
Geoff Morrow 
Published June 27, 2018

Lancaster City Police on Wednesday announced that the recent death of Patrol Officer Mark Gehron, 43, was a suicide. Gehron, a 19-year veteran of the police bureau, died Saturday, June 23. 

He was previously a volunteer firefighter and, as a police officer, received several awards and commendations. 

Gehron was also the father to sons Chris and Carter, both of Lancaster. In its release, the Lancaster Police Department said the law enforcement community experiences an average of 130 deaths a year related to officers in crisis. read more here

Clearing the road of "awareness crap"

Let them know to #TakeBackYourLife
Combat PTSD and PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
May 13, 2018

Judging just the outcome, it is obvious that those who risk their lives, in the military, law enforcement, as firefighters and emergency responders, have not really mattered. How could anyone pretend they matter when the one simple thing that could help them want to live, is ignored? The one simple message they have been getting has been shared millions of times but that message has been death, not about reasons to stay here.

I was furious earlier when a "friend" on Facebook has joined forces with a group I consider the enemy. They are famous for quoting a number without knowing what was truth and what was a headline.

This is the message I left.

 (clarified now that my temper has cooled down)

I have started to "unfriend" people who have not paid attention to the work I do, and have done for 36 years! Spreading a rumor on a number has only reinforced the fact these veterans believe they do not matter. If they did not even matter enough for you to read the damn reports, then they really don't matter. If you do nothing for the majority of the veterans committing suicide, the known ones anyway, then you are a fake. 65% are over the age of 50, so tell me how anyone is supposed to believe you actually care if you ignore them?

If you support or push the "22 a day" or even "20 a day" groups of people running around the country, you are part of the problem and that, that makes you no friend of mine.

I had this designed because a plow clears the road so others can move forward. In this case, it is the crap that others have put in the way that leaves veterans trapped~ So if you get out of the way of them being able to heal, let me know. Otherwise, stay out of my lane! 

They want to make it easy and fun for them? They want to make money off them? For what? Pretending they give a shit? If their "job" depends on veterans committing suicide then hell, why bother to do anything to change the outcome?

We are talking about men and women who valued life so much, they were willing to die to save someone else. Even if they died for just one other person, they would have considered them worth it. These same people cannot find a reason to save their own!

How can they when all they hear is a message that is nothing more than a slogan of a dead end? I am so sick and tired or all these people screaming about what they are doing when the ones needing to be saved suffer silently!

I ask you, what are you doing to make a difference? What are you doing to put the "awareness" groups out of business? That can only happen one of two ways. Veterans stop killing themselves or the donations stop going to them and start going to groups actually doing the work for ALL VETERANS to stay alive. Either way, veterans win and all these groups get out of the way!

Did it ever once dawn on any of them that a lot of veterans end up risking their lives as responders?

This is about firefighters committing suicide. You know, the ones who rush into burning buildings when everyone else is running away. The same ones who have to get through the traffic jam you complain about so they can recover bodies and save the survivors who inconvenienced you.

Firefighters from around the area gathered for the Elgin Area Firefighters’ Memorial Service at the Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum on Saturday. 

(Gloria Casas / Courier-News)

“In 2017, there were 103 documented firefighter suicides in America, whereas there were 93 line-of-duty deaths,” Schilling said. “This statistic is staggering. The fire service and firefighters alike are known for their resilience in the face of adversity. The fire service is known for problem recognition and determining solutions to save lives. I ask you, ‘What if you can make a difference? If not you, then who?’”

This is about police officers committing suicide. You know, the ones being attacked all over social media for responding to save lives, including the ones who blame all of them for what a few do. 

Officer Grijalva reportedly took his own life while off duty. He had been with the department for three years. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps. The family says they believed Officer Grijalva was displaying signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They say they informed the police department about the PTSD, that the officer had threatened suicide, and that they'd found a handwritten suicide note before his death, but the department "did nothing."

If you want to help clear the crap out of their way, then join the road crew!

Go to PTSD Patrol where this post is and leave your email so that we can get this out of their way!

UPDATE, yet one more story who has been left out of that "awareness" BS. Ever hear about a flashback while driving? That very well could have happened when this veteran lost his life and his family lost someone they loved.

At the age of 28, former Army Sgt. Richard Benson was nearly incapacitated with severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"He was still the brother who was always kind and generous, who wanted to take care of people, who would literally take the shirt off his back if someone needed it," she said.

At the same time, said Cooke, every day was a struggle for Benson.

Although he tried to return to his old life, even attending college to become a certified nurse, Cooke said he was haunted by what he'd seen and experienced in Afghanistan. He exhibited classic symptoms of PTSD – anxiety, flashbacks, guilt, unwanted thoughts, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance and, yes, self-destructive behavior.

Cooke can't say for sure that's the reason for her brother's death. But she's certain his PTSD played a role.

"NYPD detective apparently killed himself"

NYPD cop shot dead at Orange County eatery was apparent suicide, police say
New York Daily News
By John Annese
January 31, 2018

An off-duty NYPD detective apparently killed himself at an Orange County restaurant over the weekend, police sources said Wednesday.

NYPD Detective Nicholas Budney, 36, died of a gunshot wound to the head at an Orange County restaurant Saturday. (HANDOUT)

Det. Nicholas Budney, 36, died Saturday of a gunshot wound to the head at Billy Joe's Ribworks, a restaurant and music venue overlooking the Hudson River in Newburgh, sources said.

A worker at the eatery found him dead on a back patio the next day, according to a News 12 report.

Budney, a 13-year NYPD veteran and Rock Tavern, Orange County resident, was assigned to Emergency Service Unit Truck 3 in the Bronx.
read more here

RCMP Cpl.Trevor O'Keefe Kindness Remembered

Woman saved from domestic violence by Cpl. Trevor O'Keefe helps raise thousands in his memory

CBC News

October 11, 2017

O'Keefe took his own life last month after a lengthy battle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the weeks since his death, other officers suffering from PTSD have spoken up about the battle they endure outside of work hours.

Family members of RCMP Cpl. Trevor O'Keefe were in Clarenville on Wednesday for a walk to raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association. (Stephanie Marsden)

Fourteen years after RCMP Cpl.Trevor O'Keefe helped her escape domestic violence with her three children, Donna Hancock wanted to help his family.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people assembled in the streets in Clarenville to walk for the beloved officer, who took his own life Sept. 11.

Together, they raised $8,326 for the Canadian Mental Health Association.

"Trevor helped me out over a decade ago when I had a very difficult time in my life," Hancock told CBC's St. John's Morning Show. "I left a very abusive relationship with three small kids. Walking back and forth to work, he always checked in on me."

The walkers were led by a police car, fire truck and ambulance. Several police officers took part in the walk, including coworkers of O'Keefe.

Members of the O'Keefe family — including his parents, Pierre and Biddy, and children, Liam and Melissa — were in attendance.

read more here

Believe 208 For First Responders Fighting PTSD

Believe 208 5K helps first responders fight depression, PTSD

WFSB 3 News
By Sujata Jain
By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor
September 24, 2017

EAST HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) -

"We do peer-support training and anything that our officers need to support them and let them know they're appreciated," Trish Buchanan said. "This is also about suicide awareness, officer wellness."

More than 500 people will lace up their running shoes for the annual Believe 208 5K run on Sunday morning.

The fourth annual run supports Believe 208, which is an organization that connects first responders with resources to fight depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Taking the tragedy and turning it into something positive for all our first responders," Trish Buchanan, who is the founder of Believe 208, said. 

The event was established in memory of East Hartford Police Officer Paul Buchanan, who took his own life in 2013. Paul's wife Trish Buchanan said he suffered depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from 24 years on the job.

"He asked us to do this in his memory to help others like him," Trish Buchanan said. 
read more here

RCMP Cpl. Trevor O’Keefe Lost Battle With PTSD

Family, friends, colleagues honour Cpl. Trevor O’Keefe

The Telegram

Tara Bradbury

September 15, 2017

An honour guard of more than 100 officers — RCMP in red serge, RNC, firefighters, correctional officers, sheriff's officers, paramedics, veterans and others — formed two lines leading from the steps of Saints Peter and Paul church in Bay Bulls Friday afternoon.

RCMP Regimental Sgt. Major Doug Pack (on steps) salutes as cross bearer Craig Follett leaves Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Bay Bulls on Friday following the funeral service of RCMP Cpl. Trevor O’Keefe, who died Monday. RCMP officers salute as O’Keefe’s remains are carried out of the church behind Follett, O’Keefe’s brother-in-law.

Unmoving in the hot sun, they saluted as Cpl. Trevor O’Keefe’s funeral procession passed them, headed towards the cemetery.

In front in a black vehicle were the funeral directors with the urn carrying the RCMP officer’s remains. Next was the car carrying O’Keefe’s parents.

As they passed, his father Pierre (Perry) gave the saluting officers the thumbs up and a strained smile.

Earlier, during the funeral service, Perry told the congregation he had a message he wanted to get out.

“If you or someone you know is suffering emotional distress of any sort, tell someone. Don’t bottle it up.”

O’Keefe, a 17-year veteran of the RCMP, died by suicide at home in Paradise Monday afternoon, after a battle with what his family says was post-traumatic stress disorder. He would have turned 48 next week.

read more here

Houston Police Grieve After Losing Officer to Suicide

21-year HPD veteran commits suicide at Westside Patrol Station
CW 39 News
BY NEWSFIX STAFF
MARCH 31, 2017

HOUSTON -- The Houston Police Department is mourning the death of one of its own after a sergeant took his own life at an HPD substation Friday morning.

According to HPD Chief Art Acevedo, officers discovered the body of a sergeant -- a 21-year veteran-- at the Westside Patrol Station at 3203 S. Dairy Ashford.

The sergeant arrived at the station at 5:45 a.m. and remained in the parking lot until 6:15 a.m. He then walked into the building.

At 7:40 a.m., personnel noted the sergeant did not appear at roll call and was unusually late. HPD personnel made efforts to locate the sergeant through phone contact and through his family members.

Officers learned the sergeant had left his residence and later located his vehicle inside the patrol station's parking lot. Upon identifying the vehicle, it was determined that they search the station. His body was found around 8:35 a.m.

The sergeant died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
read more here

Police Officers Remembered and Honored After Suicide in Australia

Tears and relief as NSW Police moves to remember officers who took their lives
ABC News Australia
Exclusive by the National Reporting Team's Lorna Knowles
Posted about an hour ago

In 2013, Deborah Bryant's husband Ashley made a harrowing call to triple-0.

Key points: Police who've suffered trauma on the job and took their lives will now be remembered on the wall
The shift in NSW Police policy is the result of campaigning from loved ones
Retiring police chief Andrew Scipione used his last months in office to change the criteria for inclusion on the wall

PHOTO: NSW is the first state to include officers who've taken their lives in their memorial. (ABC News: Benjamin Sveen)

The distraught former police officer told the operator: "I'm about to take my life. I suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, I can no longer live with the trauma of it.

"I want this to go to the coroner. There needs to be more things put in place for the partners of those that suffer, 'cause I suffer and so do the partners and there has to be more done with them.

"I have no more to say."

Those were his final words — the end of a long battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following more than two decades as police officer in the Lismore area, in northern New South Wales.

This week, his widow gathered with others to see her husband officially recognised and honoured for his service and sacrifice.

Ms Bryant is among four women who have successfully campaigned to have the names of police officers who took their lives following trauma on the job included on the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance.
read more here

Florida First Responders May Get PTSD Justice

Bill to help first responders fight PTSD moves forward in Florida Legislature
WFTV 9 News
Updated: Mar 3, 2017

Mental health workers now believe more law enforcement officers die from PTSD-related suicide than violent crime,

ORLANDO, Fla. - A bill filed two weeks ago in the Florida Senate now has a companion bill in the House, bringing help for first responders dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder a step closer in the state.

First responders have to deal with situations and see things that most people never will, Dr. Deborah Beidel, a University of Central Florida psychology professor, said.

Tragedies like the Pulse nightclub massacre have a lasting effect on first responders and it is important to treat psychological trauma as you would physical injuries, she said.

“Just as physical injuries may affect the body, having to witness some of the events that happen in these types of trauma certainly create psychological stress,” Beidel said. “We like to think of it as a stress injury.”

The bills making their way through the legislature would make it easier for first responders to get time off and get mental health treatment.

Currently, state law does not require workers’ compensation cover PTSD issues because it’s not a physical injury.
read more here

Calgary Police Mourn Loss of Female Officer To Suicide

‘One life lost to suicide is too many’: Calgary police mourn officer’s death
Global News
By Erika Tucker
Online Supervisor
April4, 2016

Police said the “crisis” started at around 9 p.m. Friday night, when the woman was off duty.

“Commanders quickly responded to invoke all available resources, however, in the end the officer took her own life,” police said in a release.

The Calgary Police Service is offering mental health support to its members after an officer took her own life early Saturday morning. The suicide was one of four within the ranks of CPS in the last 25 years, police said.

“Police officers are human beings and we come with all the frailties that human beings come with. We suffer stress in our family life and in our work life the same as every other citizen does,” Superintendent Nina Vaughan said Monday, who added CPS members are processing the tragedy in different ways.
read more here

So Many Casualties Beyond Suicide of Australian Police Officer

Husband of policewoman who took her own life slams police, says death was avoidable 
ABC Australia 
By the National Reporting Team's Lorna Knowles 
February 23, 2016

"There are so many casualties in this story. It goes beyond [her] death."

The husband of a policewoman who took her own life has spoken out about the way his wife was treated by the New South Wales police service.

An inquest has heard the sergeant, known as "Officer A", had an affair with a senior ranking officer the year before she died.

New South Wales Deputy Coroner Hugh Dillon has criticised the police service over its handling of her case but has suppressed the names of all those involved, including a senior ranking officer who had a brief affair with the woman in 2012.

Her husband, who can only be known as "F", said the police service mismanaged her depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which were diagnosed as work-related injuries.

"There are so many casualties in this story. It goes beyond [her] death," he told the ABC.
read more here

Demand for mental health support for police officers is on the rise

Ohio Police Officers Struggle to Get Help for PTSD

Jay McDonald: Addressing PTSD the honorable thing to do
IndeOnline
By JAY McDONALD
President, Ohio Fraternal Order of Police
Posted Jan. 15, 2016

“I was in such bad shape that I had to go to a residential treatment facility and the command staff at the time refused to allow me to use sick time and fought me every step of the way. I was a mess and nobody cared.”
Doug Pergran

Jay McDonald is president of the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio and also serves as national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police. He is a major with the Marion Police Department.

The Philadelphia police officer who recently escaped a terrorist attack after being shot may well have scars beyond his physical wounds. The horror of being shot point blank by a terrorist could leave him with emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD.

It’s happened before. Just as our soldiers fight the psychological effects of war when they return from the front lines, our emergency responders here at home regularly face similar horrors. Often, the result is PTSD.

Stories from people like James Niggemeyer, the Columbus police officer credited with saving lives in December 2004 when he answered a call and killed a crazed gunman who had killed four people at a nightclub. Niggemeyer is no longer a police officer, mainly because of the emotional toll of that night.

According to Niggemeyer, who’s been in counseling for the past 11 years, “the shooting changed my career path, not for the better. I’m happy to have been able to end the situation with no further tragedies after I arrived on the scene, but it certainly hasn’t made my life any better.”

Under current law, a police officer whose leg is broken carrying an injured child to safety can get workers’ compensation. If that same child dies a painful death in the officer’s arms and the officer isn’t injured, there’s no help for the officer. No treatment for the effects that would follow such a tragedy. No help for the crippling effects of the post-traumatic stress disorder. If someone breaks a leg on duty, it will be treated and all the medical costs will be covered by worker’s compensation. The break isn’t allowed to fester; the problem isn’t allowed to get worse. No one argues with a broken leg. Should a broken psyche be any less treatable? Both scenarios result in debilitation. In both situations, we owe it to the first responder to provide help.
read more here

Aurora Police Officer Dave Hutchings "tragic end to a remarkable life"

Meyer: The ghosts of Dave Hutchings 
Denver Post
By Jeremy P. Meyer
December 12, 2015

The father of four was getting counseling for post traumatic stress disorder, said the woman. His marriage dissolved; divorce papers were finalized a week before his suicide.

We expect police officers to be resilient, hardened and fearless.

Aurora Police patrol officer David Hutchings in May 2005. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

We ask them to be first on the scene of the worst acts of humankind, to witness the sad and tragic and to be a shield between us and killers and crime. Then we expect them to march through it all with stoic reserve — strong, silent and unflinching. Sometimes even the bravest and toughest can be overcome. This happened to one of the best — Aurora Police officer Dave Hutchings, 45, who died by his own hand on Dec. 4 — a tragic end to a remarkable life. read more here

Victoria Police Officer Committed Suicide

Suicide of young constable forces Victoria Police to focus on trauma
ABC Australia
Rachael Brown
October 13, 2015

ELEANOR HALL: Lets go now to Victoria where the Police service has announced that it will develop a strategy to deal with suicides in the workplace.

The move comes a day after a senior constable took her own life at work.

The mental health forum, Beyond Blue, says a service needs to be developed for all employees who are confronted with disaster and death as part of their jobs and whose duties can haunt them.

In Melbourne, Rachael Brown reports.

RACHAEL BROWN: A leading senior constable took her own life at work yesterday at the Seaford Multi-Disciplinary Centre, south east of Melbourne.

The Police Association Secretary, Ron Iddles, says the officer used her own gun.

RON IDDLES: Any incident like this that takes place likes this amongst work colleagues is very traumatic for them and those also who are suffering might be depression or anxiety need to reach out to your friends and get professional help.

RACHAEL BROWN: Mr Iddles admits policing is getting more difficult, so Victoria's Chief Commissioner will be reviewing police suicides around Australia to help develop prevention strategies

RON IDDLES: Claims in relation to mental illness, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress have risen. We know that the pressures of the job around family violence, ice, mental illness to some extent sometimes cause secondary trauma, so they are all issue that would have to be looked at.

RACHAEL BROWN: The suicide rate for police officers is above that of the general population.
read more here

Police and PTSD "We're Still Human"

Arizona police officers helping combat stigma of PTSD
AZ Central
Jim Walsh, The Republic
August 28, 2015

A Phoenix task force recently released a series of recommendations to help police officers get the help they need early on. That came after former Officer Craig Tiger committed suicide in November 2014. Tiger was fired by then-Police Chief Daniel V. Garcia a year earlier, after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The flashpoint was a simple “hot tone,” the kind police hear all the time.

It brought back two incidents that haunt Brian Romney, the kind that a counselor and a psychologist say damages the middle brain, leaving a permanent mark.

In 2012, as a Gilbert police officer, Romney found himself in the bloody aftermath of a quadruple murder-suicide at the hands of J.T. Ready. There was nothing police could do to save Ready’s girlfriend and three of her relatives, including a baby, from his rampage.

Two years later, Romney was splashed with blood while handcuffing a bank-robbery suspect who had been shot to death by another officer. Although Romney never pulled the trigger, “I played an active part in taking a man’s life,” he said.

The hot tone, a high-pitched noise broadcast on police radio systems to signal an emergency, triggered a reaction two weeks later. Romney started hyperventilating.

“I got in my car. I drove to the Police Department. I said, ‘Something is happening to me. I need help. I need to see a psychologist,’ ” Romney said. “The culture in a police department is to suck it up and go on to the next call. It’s hard for officers to admit they need help, because there is a stigma. They don’t want to be perceived as a weak link.”

“People expect the uniform to make calls like that bounce off, but they don’t. We’re still human.” Brian Romney

Romney took off his uniform. He never wore it again. It was the end of a 12-year career.
read more here

Code 9 Officer Needs Assistance - The Documentary from Dangerous Curves Productions on Vimeo.

Phoenix Police Department Learned To Change After PTSD Study

Big changes ahead for Phoenix PD after PTSD study
KPHO News
By Jason Volentine
Jul 11, 2015

A task force was formed following the firing and

ultimate suicide death of former police officer Craig Tiger.

(Source: KPHO/KTVK)

PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK)
Big changes are coming to the Phoenix Police Department following the release of a task force report on the city’s first responders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The task force was put together following the firing and ultimate suicide death of former police officer Craig Tiger, who claimed to be suffering from untreated PTSD. The findings recommend more than a dozen steps the department should take to help officers suffering from PTSD.

According to the task force, there needs to be a cultural change with the way the police department views and treats mental health.

One of the recommendations deals with traumatic events like officer-involved shootings.
read more here

First responders committing suicide in Canada tied to PTSD

11 first responders have killed themselves in the past ten weeks
Global News
By James Armstrong and Laura Zilke
July 16, 2014

TORONTO – In the past 10 weeks, 11 Canadians whose job it is to confront the most violent, traumatic situations have reportedly killed themselves.

Seven of these first responders – four police officers, two paramedics and one federal corrections staff member – were in Ontario, according to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust, an organization that promotes mental-health awareness among Canada’s first responders.

“It’s a national tragedy, if you ask me,” said Vince Savoia, a former paramedic and founder of the Tema Conter trust.

“What angers me most is some organizations truly believe that if the suicide does not occur at work then it’s obviously not job-related.”

Savoia attributes some of these suicides to post-traumatic stress disorder or similar mental-health issues.

Savoia quit emergency services in 1992, but wasn’t diagnosed with PTSD until 2000.

Savoia set out on a cross-country tour to talk about PTSD and mental-health issues among first responders on April 28.

At the same time, he made a point of tracking the number of people in that field who killed themselves – because no one else was counting, he says.

“Nobody wants to talk about this, nobody is tracking the stats,” Savoia said. “So we made a conscientious decision, that during the tour, we wanted to pay attention to exactly what was going on.”

They were shocked by what they found: Over the next ten weeks, he said, 11 first responders killed themselves. Savoia collects the data by relying on reports from the emergency personnel community across Canada.
read more here

Police unions seek recognition of PTSD as workplace illness

Post traumatic stress support group born from death of Hamilton police officer
Police unions seek recognition of PTSD as workplace illness
Hamilton Spectator
By Bill Dunphy
June 27, 2014

For the past five weeks a very small, self-selected group of Hamilton police officers has been gathering in secret to share experiences of debilitating pain, fear, isolation and withdrawal.

The officers are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and for once, and finally, they're talking about it — getting help and helping each other.

It is perhaps fitting, that the Hamilton Employees Lifeline Peer Network (HELP-Net) should rise from a community shocked and torn by the very public death by suicide of Staff Sergeant Ian Matthews last December in the locker-room at police headquarters.

"It was never meant to memorialize or condone what Ian did, but to use it as a catalyst," Sergeant Helena Pereira explained, pointing out she doesn't even know if the popular detective had been suffering from PTSD.

The peer group — which is being supervised by mental health professionals from the Homewood Health Centre — is being funded by the Blarney Run, an annual fundraising effort by Matthews' friends and family that is meant to memorialize Matthews.

Pereira said Matthews's death and the public reactions seem to have helped crack open the traditionally closed police subculture, giving officers permission to come forward and admit their struggles.

"Police are so tight-lipped," Pereira said. "You have to be so calm. It all has to stay inside. You don't want to show any emotion. There's a stigma around asking for help."

But in the aftermath of that December death, many officers did just that — showed their emotion, admitted seeking and needing help.
read more here

Liberty Lake Police Stunned By Suicide

Sources: Veteran Liberty Lake police officer killed himself
KXLY Washington
Author: Jeff Humphrey, KXLY4 Reporter
Published On: Apr 25 2014

SPOKANE, Wash
KXLY sources report a veteran Liberty Lake police officer apparently took his own life in an SUV early Friday morning in northwest Spokane.

Spokane Police Major Crimes detectives are investigating the death of Sergeant Clint Gibson, who was off-duty at the time of his death.

Gibson's body was discovered by Spokane Police inside his personal vehicle, which was found in a parking lot near the intersection of Francis and Madison in northwest Spokane around 1:45 Friday morning.

The investigation indicates Gibson took his own life with a firearm and either before or after that shot was fired his SUV crashed into some trees and other objects in the vicinity. The Spokane County Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to confirm his cause of death.

It didn't take very long for officers to realize who and what they were dealing with and then Liberty Lake Police Chief Brian Asmus got the phone call he hoped he would never have to answer. Gibson's death has left Liberty Lake and the law enforcement community stunned.

"I got the call from dispatch about the accident about two o'clock this morning. Myself, one of our other officers, our police chaplain met here, we went to be with the officer's family," Asmus said.
read more here