Suffolk County authorities are investigating mental health services and other supports provided to law enforcement professionals after four officers died by suicide in recent weeks.
“We are devastated by the news of such a tragic death,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said in a statement to Newsday. “My administration has wasted no time in addressing the issue of mental health for all employees and has begun making mental health information available to employees and their families.”
Romaine spokesman Michael Martino said the suicides included two Suffolk police officers, a sheriff’s deputy and a probation officer in the past four weeks.
The latest incident occurred early last week.
What you need to know
- Suffolk County officials are testing mental health Services and other assistance provided to law enforcement professionals following the deaths of four police officers by suicide in the past four weeks.
- Among those who commit suicide, Two Suffolk police officers, a sheriff’s deputy and a probation officer were taken into custody, county officials said.
- Suffolk Police Union Leaders The counselor, who was a police officer, says he has the potential to make a difference.
“We’re reaching epidemic proportions and we need to do something about it. We’re an active partner with the county,” said Lou Civello, president of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association, the department’s largest union. Ta. “The entire department is heartbroken by this matter.”
In response to a spate of NYPD officer suicides in 2019, police departments in Nassau and Suffolk counties have stepped up efforts around mental health and suicide prevention, including Suffolk’s It also included hiring a full-time chaplain to liaise with police officers. work event.
The following year, Congress passed the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act to better understand the issue. In its most recent annual report in June 2023, the FBI said law enforcement agencies reported 34 suicide deaths and nine suicide attempts in 2022 and the first four months of 2023. Firearms were used in 29 of the 34 deaths, or 85.3%. said the report.
Because agencies self-report, the data may not capture all law enforcement officer suicides. “The LESDC cannot succeed without government agencies willing, ready, and capable to submit data to the FBI,” the report states.
Blue HELP, a Massachusetts nonprofit that tracks suicides among all first responders, including firefighters and 911 dispatchers, reported 163 suicides nationwide last year.
Experts say police and other law enforcement officers sometimes respond to emotionally charged situations, but the reasons why law enforcement professionals commit suicide can vary and may be unrelated to their jobs.
“I definitely think it’s because of work stress,” said Sivello, the Suffolk union president. “Jobs are becoming more stressful, and I think we need to do more to meet the needs of modern law enforcement officers and those who deal with psychological trauma on a regular basis.”
Civello said the county needs to augment the services it currently provides with trained officers who can provide counseling.
“It’s clearly not enough,” Civello said. “We need to try harder. We need to be proactive. … There’s a reluctance for people who have never been a police officer to go into treatment.”
Suffolk Police had no immediate comment.
Romaine said the police department went several years without hiring two police department counselors.
“Both positions were funded but not filled,” said Romaine, who took the position in January. “I have worked with [acting Police] commissioner [Robert] We are vigilant about bringing in new mental health professionals to assist our men and women in law enforcement, and we are committed to working together to implement solutions to help those who are suffering and in need. New efforts will be coordinated between all county authorities and trade unions. ”
County executives urged people in distress to seek help. “Never forget that help is just a phone call away,” he said.
Regis. Public Safety Commission Chairman Stephen Flotteron said he is on a fact-finding mission to determine what the county can do to better support its officers.
“Is there anything we can do better to prevent something like this from happening again?” Flotteron said.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. said the department launched a wellness department last year and created a peer support group of more than 30 employees trained to provide the service.
“The health of our nation’s sworn and civilian employees has always been, and continues to be, our top priority,” Toulon said. “I understand the stress that is unique to this job, and the Sheriff’s Office has taken recent steps to enhance mental health services. We encourage people to use these 24/7 services for any issues they may have, whether they are work-related, family-related, mental health or substance use issues.”
He said the sheriff’s department plans to hold its first-ever wellness conference in April.
Nassau County Police Chief Patrick Ryder said the department has an employee assistance program that is available 24/7 to provide individual support to members, retirees and families in crisis. Stated.
“Officers may be offered or ordered to participate in peer support if they have experience responding to particularly tragic situations,” Ryder said in a statement. “There they will be addressed as a group, provided with coping strategies and provided with the ability to express any residual effects that may have been caused by this incident.”
During its annual in-service training, the department spends time on wellness and focuses on its peer support team. “We always emphasize that members must be alert, aware and take action if they suspect that a member is behaving uncharacteristically and is in need of psychological support. “We are doing so,” the committee member said.
