LODD

Kansas City has lost another law enforcement officer in the line of duty. This is the 3rd Line of Duty death in the Kansas City area this year.

On September 11, 2016 at approximately 1:30am Master Deputy Brandon Collins was killed when his patrol car was struck from behind while he conducted a traffic stop. He had re-entered his vehicle when a pickup truck struck it from behind. The suspect fled from the scene and was apprehended a short time later. Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. Master Deputy Collins was a 20 year veteran on the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. RIP Master Deputy Collins. Thank you for your service!

On July 19, 2016 Captain Dave Melton was shot to death while encountering one of the suspects who fled from officers. One suspect was apprehended immediately, the other was later taken in to custody. Captain Melton was a veteran of the Kansas National Guard. RIP Captain Melton. Thank you for your service!

On May 10, 2016 Detective Brad Lancaster was shot to death while assisting officers on a suspicious person call. The suspect fled from officers and was tracked down by Detective Lancaster in a nearby field. The suspect opened fire and was able to flee the scene before being apprehended. He was later located after attempting to carjack a citizen in a nearby city. Detective Lancaster was a US Air Force veteran. RIP Detective Lancaster. Thank you for your service!

To all my friends in blue, I am thinking of you. Thank you for your service!  Please be safe out there!

RIP Detective Lancaster, KCKPD

Approximately 150 law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty each year. I don't know if most of us give this much thought until the loss is close to home. KCKPD lost an officer to senseless violence yesterday. While I didn't know Detective Lancaster, I watched the news and joined others in praying he would survive surgery and return home to his family. Sadly, it was not to be. Detective Landcaster's life was senselessly ended too soon by a coward who doesn't deserve to have his name mentioned here. I am just glad the coward was taken in to custody not long after the shooting took place in KC, KS. RIP Detective Lancaster. Prayers to your family both blood and blue! 

 

National police week is coming up. One way citizens can show appreciation for law enforcement is to put a blue light up in your porch light. 

A BLUE LIGHT

Place a light in your window, make sure it is blue
Reminding friends, an officer gave a life for you
Give light to their remembrance, the color is sad
To family left by officers who knew them as Dad
It isn’t the money, most definitely not the hours
They aren’t comic book hero’s with unnatural powers
They’re simply human beings who place life on the line
Place a blue light in your window, let their memory shine!

To all my friends in blue, I am thinking of you. Thank you for your service!  Be safe!

"Blue Light Week"

There has been quite a bit of negative publicity about law enforcement over the past several months. While there are bad apples in every profession, there also many good folks who go to work everyday with good intentions. "Blue Light Week" was established to show support to Law Enforcement for what they do day in and day out to protect and serve the communities they work in as well as to honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. "Blue Light Week" is a national campaign. With the flip of a switch citizens can be a part of the campaign and show support for law enforcement.

For more information about the event visit the Facebook event page here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/705275326247302/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming.





A BLUE LIGHT

Place a light in your window, make sure it is blue
Reminding friends, an officer gave a life for you
Give light to their remembrance, the color is sad
To family left by officers who knew them as Dad
It isn’t the money, most definitely not the hours
They aren’t comic book hero’s with unnatural powers
They’re simply human beings who place life on the line
Place a blue light in your window, let their memory shine!

by Gene Rooney November 29th, 2007

To all my friends in blue, I am thinking of you. Thank you for your service!  Be safe!

Praying for Boston - Boston Mourns Two Fallen Firefighters

Boston is again in hearts and prayers as they mourn the loss of 2 brave firefighters who lost their life fighting a large fire on 3/26/14. Firefighters Micheal R. Kennedy and Lt. Edward J. Walsh died when they became trapped in the basement while fighting a fire in an apartment building in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Please take a moment to remember these heroes! 

This combination made with undated photos released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter shows firefighters Michael R. Kennedy, left, and Lt. Edward J. Walsh, who were killed Wednesday, March 26, 2014, when trapped the basement while fighting a fire in an apartment building in Boston. Kennedy, 33, a Marine Corps combat veteran was assigned to Ladder 15, and had been a firefighter for more than six years. Walsh, 43, and a father of three, was assigned to Engine 33, and had been a firefighter for almost a decade. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

Boston firefighters work a multi-alarm brownstone fire, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Boston. (AP Photo/The Boston Herald, Christopher Evans)

A firefighter places his hand on the shoulder of another at the scene of a multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River, Wednesday, March 26, 2014 in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this photo made Wednesday night, March 26, 2014, firefighters salute the medical examiner's truck carrying the body of one of two firefighters killed when a fire driven by strong winds whipped through a four-story apartment building in Boston and trapped them in the basement. (AP Photo/Boston Herald, Matt West)

Firefighters place black bunting on the front of fire station Engine 33/Ladder 15, Thursday, March 27, 2014, in Boston. Engine 33/Ladder 15 was the station of fallen firefighters Lt. Edward Walsh and Michael Kennedy who lost their lives fighting a nine-alarm blaze in a four-story brownstone in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Thirteen other firefighters were injured in the blaze and several police officers also were taken to hospitals. Some residents were rescued from the upper floors of the four-story apartment building, but none was hurt, officials said. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

RIP Michael Kennedy and Lt. Edward J. Walsh

Suicide in Law Enforcement... What can be done to prevent it?

There has been a silent statistic within the law enforcement profession that has been unspoken for years. A line that is drawn deeply and permanently between two deaths. One, whom we call a hero when dying in the line of duty. The other, a mere whisper that an officer has died. That growing statistic is law enforcement suicide. 

Suicide is not a popular topic in the law enforcement culture. Quite frankly, it's not a popular topic period. The goal of this blog entry is to focus on suicide in law enforcement because one suicide is one suicide too many.

For several years, the popular numbers given for annual police suicides were catastrophic - 300, 400, 500 and even higher. The numbers were so high it was believed nothing could be done. “Every 17 to 21 hours,” cried one source, “a police officer takes his or her own life!”   (This equalled as many as 515 officers per year!)   The studies vary widely and often times add more confusion than clarity.  One thing that the studies seem to agree on is that over the past several years, the suicide rate among law enforcement officers has been shown to equal or surpass the rate of officer's who died in the line of duty.  I think everyone can agree that one suicide is one too many.  Rather than argue about statistics, let's focus on what can be done to prevent suicide.
 
There is no easy or full proof way to identify which officers are most at risk for taking their own life. Every officer has his or her breaking point. The stresses of daily life, coupled with stresses from tragic/critical events, can push a police officer to end his/her life. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of stress and depression before an officer reaches that breaking point is essential.
 

The top predictors for suicide for anyone are:  a diagnostic mental disorder, alcohol or substance use, loss of social or family support, and the availability and access to a firearm. 60% of the general public and 90% of officers commit suicide using a gun. Additionally, about 90% of the time, an officer is drinking heavily when he/she kills himself/herself.

 

While officers generally operate well under stress, too much stress may have disastrous outcomes.

As we learn more through research and study it becomes obvious that suicide is merely “the tip of the iceberg” in comparison to the more important issue of mental health in law enforcement. 

 

It may well prove impossible to develop a program that can identify and prevent 150 suicides in a force of almost a million police officers. It is clear, however, that when efforts are focused on mental health, instead of the narrower “suicide prevention,” there can be benefits that include not only suicide prevention, but fewer:
 

• Officer deaths from shootings and accident
• Lawsuits
• Complaints
• Sick leave
• Alcoholism
• Substance abuse
• Criminal/other behaviors
• On and off-job injuries
• Divorces
• Grievances
• Resignations
• Morale problems, and much more.

Many obstacles may prevent an officer from seeking professional help for his or her depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. There are concerns that if they tell their chain of command their careers will be ruined, they will be determined not fit for duty, their gun will be confiscated, they will be viewed as weak and all hopes of advancement will be destroyed. They may fear being terminated. There is always a fear of confidentiality. The officer worries about the reactions, including further alienation and retribution from peers. The stigma of mental illness remains rampant among many law enforcement officers. The idea of needing help implies cowardice and/or an inability to fulfill the role of an officer. Officers with a history of depression or anxiety are identified as the weak-link, the officer who folds under pressure. So the officer tries to solve his or her problems personally and quietly, often with disastrous results.

Virtually all suicides are preventable with appropriate intervention. Departments can help reduce the risk of one of their own taking his or her life.   Suicide awareness training for officers and command focusing on identification of at risk officers, prevention programs and training are some of the ways to help reduce the risk of suicide among law enforcement officers.

Here are some policy suggestions to be implemented in Departments:

• Conduct psychological pre-employment screening of all law enforcement applicants.
• Assess individuals seeking high-risk/high-stress job assignments (undercover, special weapons team, homicide, etc.) for personality/job match and the ability to cope with the inherent stressors.
• Provide education to personnel and their family members regarding depression, suicide, stress management, and available employee assistance or counseling resources. This is particularly important because studies maintain that 80 percent of people who commit suicide have communicated their intent to commit the act.
• Conduct middle-management education on depression, signs and symptoms of suicide, and appropriate policy and procedures should an employee be identified as possibly suicidal.
• Make resources, including chaplains, peer support, 24-hour hot lines, and mental health personnel available to department personnel and their family members.
• When assisting the officer in finding treatment it is wise to consider utilizing an outside therapist. An outside therapist, not involved in the police departmental process, may seem more trustworthy to the officer. A department psychiatrist may have more knowledge of the officer and his or her current pressures. However, the department's clinician may also be involved in evaluating the officer's mental status in regards for fitness for duty.  The officer, psychiatrist, and department need clarification related to the officer's confidentiality and the chain of command prior to initiating therapy.
• Track individuals who meet specific at-risk criteria either because of life events (divorce, under investigation, for example) or because the individual shows significant signs and symptoms of distress (sudden drop in performance, increase in complaints, anger, negativity).
• Debrief after high-stress incidents.
• Debrief in the event that an officer succeeds in completing suicide. Officers are frequently referred to as brothers and sisters; survivors of the suicide of a family member are up to nine times more likely to commit suicide themselves in comparison with the average person.
• Provide retirement transition seminars and assistance to prepare individuals for the emotional and social changes that will occur.

The overall department goal should be to assist officers in finding treatment where his or her needs are best met. 

Need a resource for training or support services? Try the National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation.

Here are some other resources that might be helpful in developing department policy:

In Harm's Way Toolkit: Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention
QPR Institute ...Advanced Suicide Prevention Courses for EMS, Corrections, Law Enforcement
International Association of Chiefs of Police... has information about suicide and resources available.
The Police Chief has a section on suicide prevention with resources listed.


If you are an officer reading this, you may know a peer at risk. As an officer you are frequently called to check the welfare of a citizen, to possibly prevent a suicide. As a peer you must do the same for another officer. Be aware of signs that someone may be suicidal such as:

• Talking about suicide
• Making statements related to hopelessness or helplessness
• A preoccupation with death
• A loss of interest in things the officer once cared about
• Making detailed arrangements related to insurance and finances
• Giving away valued or prized possessions

Notice what is going on in his/her life.

• Is he/she recently separated or divorced, did he/she lose custody of a child?
• Has he/she been involved in a critical incident or under scrutiny by an internal affairs investigation?
• Is the officer pulling away from others, is job performance suffering?
• Is he/she having increased medical complaints, does he/she leave work or miss work frequently?
• Do you suspect he/she is abusing alcohol or other substances?
• Do you see a red flag or have a gut level concern?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, do something now!  Ask the officer what is going on in his or her life. Ask if they are okay and how they are handling a current stressor. Ask them if they feel depressed, and ask them about suicidal thoughts. Help them get the help they need before they take a life - their own. If they won't seek help on their own go to a trusted supervisor, the chaplain, your union representative or the department clinician with your concerns.  You are willing to go to any lengths for an officer who needs assistance on a call; do something today to prevent the loss of an officer by his or her own hands! 

***Update - While doing some further research and chatting with people I learned that one main emotion is often missing with the affected individual and that is happiness.  However, the last few days after the person has made a conscious decision to take their life, they feel peace and happiness. That is when everyone thinks they are fine and the crisis is over but in reality the end is near. If you notice someone exhibiting signs of suicide one day and uncharacteristically happy the next, take action!

 

If you are an officer who is hurting and contemplating suicide, reach out now!  There are many people who really do care about you, who really do want to help you, who don't want to attend your funeral.  Here is a list of Helpful Suicide Prevention Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Helpguide.org

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Suicide Awareness Voice of Education (SAVE) 

National Institute of Mental Health

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

National Center for PTSD

Tears of a Cop (there are many resources listed here specific to law enforcement)

Badge of Life (another source specific to law enforcement and suicide prevention)

Seeking help is a sign of strength not of weakness. It is the first step in reestablishing control in your life. Always remember when there is life there is hope!

 

Why am I writing a blog entry about suicide in law enforcement? I am not a law enforcement officer. I have worked in the healthcare field for more than 20 years.  We may work in different career paths but helping others is what you and I are meant to do.  I have an "adopted" family which includes retired and current police officers.  I have many friends currently on the job in law enforcement, fire and ems.  If I can't be there to help them when they need help, I hope someone else can be.  I know they would be there for me if I needed their help!  And last but not least, I am posting this entry because a friend recently lost her husband (a deputy) to suicide.   Any suicide is one too many!

 

 

Any law enforcement suicide is one too many.

 

A BLUE LIGHT

I read this for the first time today and couldn't help but want to share...

A BLUE LIGHT

Place a light in your window, make sure it is blue
Reminding friends, an officer gave a life for you
Give light to their remembrance, the color is sad
To family left by officers who knew them as Dad
It isn’t the money, most definitely not the hours
They aren’t comic book hero’s with unnatural powers
They’re simply human beings who place life on the line
Place a blue light in your window, let their memory shine!

by Gene Rooney November 29th, 2007

Here is a link to order a blue light from Concerns Of Police Survivors. All proceeds go back into the organization to help families of fallen officers.

 

Prayers for the families of Officer Atherly and Cpl. Gogian who were senselessly gunned down on December 16, 2012.

 

 

To all my friends in blue, I am thinking of you today.  Thank you for your service!  Be safe!