NATIONAL POLICE SUICIDE FOUNDATION
Providing Training and Support since 1997
In Washington, D.C., we have a wall of heroes to honor our fallen officers...but we lose a
lot of officers each year whose names will never be placed on that wall. These are officers
who have died by their own hand.
These officers have placed their lives on the line for others many times and because of
the daily stress of their profession and the effect it has on their personal life, they have
reached a point where they feel like they can't go on. By their nature and because of
their training, police and other emergency responders make instant decisions.....so in an
instant they chose "suicide" as a way out. Many of these individuals have had exemplary
careers. It is for these officers and their families, that The National Police Suicide
Foundation was formed.
We provide educational seminars, peer support strategies, policy and protocol
suggestions and a huge network of communication and resources to survivors and
agencies. The National Police Suicide Foundation offers Peer Support at its very best,
providing both pro-active and post-event training and support.
The National Police Suicide Foundation's dedicated mission is to provide
training programs on suicide awareness and prevention, that establish a standard of
care and promote employee wellness
for law enforcement and military
for emergency responders
Providing support services that meet the psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of law enforcement, on every level, and law enforcement families.
The National Police Suicide Foundation's goal is to provide
support, encouragement, and hope to the agencies and families affected by this tragedy,
by helping them to understand and manage the emotional and psychological impact of
suicide.
The National Police Suicide Foundation partners with researchers and research
organizations. We have mentored doctoral-level graduate students and participated in the
design of data collection on a national level.
Our foundation provides information on:
Police suicide support group services
Seminars and training schedule
Counseling hot lines and resources
News about research partnerships and projects
Supportive communication for survivors and agencies.
We provide this service coast-to-coast in the United States, on the local, state, and
federal level.
We hope you will consider
joining the National Police Suicide Foundation or make a donation to support our work for
law enforcement, military and the families of heroes not mentioned on the wall.
JULY 2022
I am excited about the implementation of the FBI Data Center that collects and documents Police related suicides nationwide. Below is a summary of the bureau call LESDC (Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection). The first annual report came out in June 2022;
The Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection (LESDC) Act was signed into Law on June 16, and charges the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to establish a data collection where law enforcement agencies may submit information about their officers who have died by or attempted to commit suicide for the purpose of compiling national statistics on these tragedies.
Scope
As established within the LESDC Act, the FBI will collect at least the following information for each current or former law enforcement officer who commits or attempts suicide:
. the circumstances and events that occurred before each suicide or attempted suicide;
. the general location of each suicide or attempted suicide;
. the demographic information of each law enforcement officer who commits or attempts
suicide;
. the occupational category, including criminal investigator, corrections officer, line of duty
Officer, 911 dispatch operator, or each law enforcement officer who commits or attempts
Suicide, and;
. the method used in each suicide or attempted suicide.
Submission of Data
Agencies began submitting incident information of the LESDC on January 1, 2022, via the Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal at www.cjis.gov. Applicable incidents are those that occur on January 1, 2022, and after.
Submission to the LESDC are voluntary unless state-specific legislation exists that mandates and agency to report applicable data.
KEY EVENTS
June 2020 The LESDC Act was signed into law.
January 2021 The Task Force convened for the first in a series of meetings.
June 2021---October 2021 The LESDC pilot study.
January 2022 The LESDC began collecting data from agencies nationwide.
June 2022 The FBI published the first LESDC report.