Remembering Police Officers on World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is October 10th, and as a law enforcement charity that supports agencies, officers and their families, we know first hand the mental toll that this job has. We believe it is our job to provide understanding to our community regarding the struggles that officers face, including emphasizing the importance of mental health in this industry.

Suicide Among Police Officers is Extremely Prevalent

Almost 1 in 4 officers has contemplated suicide at some point in their lifetime and twice as many officers die from suicide than by homicide. Unfortunately, “chock it up to the job” is a term we hear all too frequently and which pervasively dismisses their struggles. For society to not validate first responders who face mental health challenges is only doing our country a disservice. Ironically, officers are trained to identify and communicate with people who have mental illnesses but aren’t given the same training or attention to identify their mental health challenges.

Mindfulness Practice Might Help Officers Cope with Mental Health Issues

Police officers are consistently burdened with work-related stressors that occur throughout their work days. They are bombarded with direct and vicarious trauma that can show itself in depression and interpersonal problems. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy, mindfulness-based interventions were shown to directly promote the mental and physical health of first responders while providing increased ability to face high stress situations.

A recent report in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry reveals that there are unique challenges and gaps in the research regarding why female first responders present with different PTSD symptoms than men. The researchers concluded that assessment strategies and treatment options should be tailored for individuals who are dealing with mental health issues stemming from occupation-specific-traumatic-stress exposure. In other words, programs designed to help everyone with mental health issues, don’t necessarily translate effectively for the type of mental health issues that affect the law enforcement population.

When Harvard says there isn’t enough research surrounding a topic, that’s not a good sign, folks.

One way to help officers cope with the trauma of the job is to educate or help them through a mindfulness practice program. Mindfulness is a practice meant to facilitate relaxation in the body and the calming and centering of the mind by focusing on the present. The more you are aware of your present, the more you can control your anxiety. The program developed by Harvard was proven effective in reducing stress, improving quality of life, and increasing self-compassion in first responders.

For officers who might be struggling with mental health issues you can find a variety of helpful resources at the website for The International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Some other resources available for police officers battling mental health issues include:
Safe Call Now is a CONFIDENTIAL, 24-hour crisis referral service for all public safety employees, all emergency services personnel and their family members.
The National Police Suicide Foundation provides support services that meet the psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of law enforcement, on every level.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a national non-profit that provides FREE group therapy with trained counselors as well as other extremely helpful support for those suffering from mental health or strain.
EALE Charities in partnership with the Police Officer Assistance Trust provides assistance to distressed officers and their family members. We believe this includes not only physical health, but mental health as well!

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Domestic Violence: Deadly for Women and Police Officers

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month we wanted to highlight the ripple effects that domestic violence has at the community level, particularly, how it effects police officers who respond to those types of situations. This is not to draw attention away from the victims, but to help amplify the case for us as a society to simply put…do better. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of violent crime in the U.S and 19% of those situations involve a weapon of some sort.

Statistics Show That Officers Get Injured More Often During A Domestic Violence Call

Statistically speaking, when an officer responds to a domestic violence call, the odds of them getting hurt or killed are higher than in most other situations. In 2017, more officers were shot responding to a domestic violence call, than any other type of firearm fatality.

One study from the Dolan Consulting Group took data from FBI statistics between 1980 and 2006. They found that 113,236 officer assaults occurred in the U.S. and 160 officers died when responding to calls regarding a domestic violence altercation.

The Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (Cops) found that officers were more likely to be killed when they were responding to a domestic dispute than any other type of call they received. And in a country where on any given day the domestic violence hotline receives over 20,000 calls, you can imagine the number of calls the 911 operators receive.

Officers Are the Initial Source of Support for Victims of Domestic Violence

Police officers are the key frontline services that victims can use to prevent and stop intimate partner abuse. They provide practical support, such as helping change security locks on doors, giving victims mobile phones, or putting a “marker” on a house so that other officers in the area can get there as quickly as possible in a future situation. Officers are crucial and are often a woman’s only chance when 1/3 women who file a restraining order are murdered within 2 months by the recipient of that order.

Erik Agazim Law Enforcement Charities Has Supported Local Law Enforcement With Equipment to Keep Them Safe During Their Calls

At Erik Agazim Law Enforcement Charities we have donated thousands of dollars of equipment to local law enforcement agencies to help keep our officers safe when responding to high-risk calls such as domestic violence situations. We hope to continue to provide them with the tools and resources they need to protect themselves and their communities that will enable them to prevent and stop incidents of violence and abuse.

As a local non-profit, we believe that the effects of domestic violence affect us all as a society even if you aren’t directly related to it. In Milwaukee and right here in our backyard in Miami-Dade, police departments from both cities were studied in 2011 and it was found that 3,078 intimate partner violence calls were placed and of those, 117 calls resulted in an officer being assaulted. We hope to have shed some light on a lesser spoken topic regarding the issue. During domestic violence awareness month, we invite you to take some time to remember the officers who provide support for the victims and who answer these calls knowing the statistics they face.

DV Stats Officers (1)

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