CNA and First H.E.L.P. Provide the First Comprehensive Examination of Law Enforcement Deaths by Suicide
06 Mayo 2024 - 10:07AM
Business Wire
A new research brief analyzes 1,287 deaths by suicide of law
enforcement and correctional officers from 2016 to 2022. This is
the first examination of a national, comprehensive data collection
effort on public safety deaths by suicide. It categorizes the data
on these deaths by year of occurrence, agency details, geographic
location, demographic attributes, position specifics, help-seeking
behaviors, life challenges the person encountered before their
death, and details about the death event.
This research is the result of a collaboration begun late last
year between the Center for Justice Research and Innovation at CNA
and First H.E.L.P. The nonprofit First H.E.L.P. has made notable
strides toward collecting a comprehensive, reliable, and valid
dataset on office suicides, one of the most extensive efforts
undertaken in this area. CNA brings deep experience in data
analysis and officer wellness to the collaboration.
Among many other findings, the analysis found that annual public
safety personnel deaths by suicide rose from 152 in 2016 to a peak
of 234 recorded deaths in 2019 before declining during the
pandemic. The number of deaths climbed again in 2023. Other
important findings were based on information gathered by First
H.E.L.P about each death from friends and family. This data showed
that though 60 percent of officers who died by suicide were known
to be experiencing some form of adversity, only 23 percent were
reported to be seeking any kind of help.
“The absence of a systematic, national, and comprehensive data
collection effort of public safety deaths by suicide has prevented
the field from better understanding the extent of the problem,”
said Dr. Dan Lawrence, a senior research scientist at the CNA
Center for Justice Research and Innovation. “First H.E.L.P. has
assembled the most comprehensive dataset that's been released to
date on this extremely important issue.”
First H.E.L.P. is an organization that works to reduce mental
health stigma for first responders through education, advocating
for benefits for those suffering from post-traumatic stress,
acknowledging the service and sacrifice of first responders lost to
suicide, assisting officers in their search for healing, and
bringing awareness to suicide and mental health issues.
“This data creates a solid baseline of year-over-year estimates
that encompass more than just the raw numbers. We hope to foster
cultural change and improved prevention programs,” said Karen
Solomon, founder of First H.E.L.P. “Now that the field can clearly
see the ‘who,’ we can start looking at the ‘how’ of stopping
suicide.”
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Karin Drinkhall Director of Communications
202.549.6424 | drinkhallk@cna.org