CHEYENNE, Wyo.-- Area officials are hoping that new programs will encourage law enforcement officers to ask for help rather than committing suicide.
In 2012, there were 129 police officer line-of-duty fatalities in the U.S. In that same year, there were 126 police officer suicides, according to the Badge of Life Police Mental Health Program.
"Most officers are aware of the primary danger of policing - bad guys with guns, directing traffic in hazardous conditions," Loveland, Colo. police psychologist Jack Digliani said. "But they do not consider the secondary danger that asking for help is somehow equivalent to being weak."
Digliani, a former Laramie County Sheriff's deputy and Cheyenne Police officer, is promoting an initiative called "Make it Safe" to reduce the number of job-related police suicides.
It recommends several measures to do so, such as educating officers about stress management and the warning signs of suicide, as well as creating peer support groups.
In Laramie County, some of these steps are already in place, Cheyenne Police Sgt. Stephanie Neuman said. She said the police department, sheriff's department and Albany County Sheriff's Office have started peer support groups.
Trained patrol officers are available if employees are having a tough time at work or at home. If officers are uncomfortable talking to someone at their agency, they get help from the two other agencies involved.
"It's an outlet for officers, rather than seeking therapy right away," she said. "They have fellow law enforcement personnel to talk them through something."
And officers have to work through difficult issues, Neuman said, like seeing a dead baby or responding to a fatal crash.
"Maybe you have to decide if you're going to take someone's life that day," she said. "Maybe telling your husband or wife goodbye at breakfast may be the last time you see them."
To help officers with these tough situations, team members get regular training from local therapist Robert Logan.
"I start with the basics of counseling and human behavior," he said. "Then we'll work on counseling skills and how to help people, especially with workplace stress."
Additionally, the agencies will contract with Logan and can refer officers to him, if needed.
Logan said this is a great way to take care of employees.
"I think it's absolutely wonderful that law enforcement is reaching out to the mental health field," he said. "It's a great thing for them to do."
Having a therapist on hand at the Loveland Police Department has been helpful for officers, Chief Luke Hecker said.
He said Digliani's office is constantly full of officers and their families, and his services have improved the health and well-being of the department.
"The culture inside the organization now is one where we embrace his services and recognize the need for them," he said. "There's not a negative stigma to an officer reaching out for help from Jack."
Digliani said he is happy that Laramie and Albany counties are breaking down this stigma, adding that he hopes other departments in the area follow their example.
"My goal is to encourage departments to take active measures and make it safe for officers to ask for help," he said.
Copyright 2013 Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc. All Rights Reserved
