Blog Posts
We welcome your stories, perspective and important information regarding suicide in law enforcement.
Listen
We have seen significant progress toward smashing the stigma of law enforcement mental health, but we have a long way to go. Blue H.E.L.P.’s #IWillListen campaign works to improve how law enforcement officers demonstrate their willingness and commitment to...
No One Is Completely Dead…
I should be preparing for tonight’s board meeting, actually, I really should be cleaning my office. Instead, I am writing you this letter. Who are you? Friends, family, volunteers, board members, advisors, supporters, LinkedIn connections, family members who have lost...
Holiday Tips for Managing Stress
Oftentimes, as a police officer, the holidays may mean nothing more than a regular workday or overtime for you. However, over the course of the year you are subjected to increased levels of stress. Unfortunately, the holiday season may increase levels of stress ever...
The Will of a Chief
A struggle ensues, you lose your balance, and your head hits a concrete wall. The offender is trying to get your gun, you’re trying not to lose consciousness while your will to live keeps you engaged in the fight of your life. The offender now has your gun and it’s...
Blue H.E.L.P. Receives Motorola Solutions Foundation Grant
September 20, 2019 Blue H.E.L.P. Receives Motorola Solutions Foundation Grant - Worcester, MA – September 20, 2019 – Blue H.E.L.P., an organization devoted to law enforcement suicide awareness, stigma reduction and family support, today announced it has received a...
Simply the Best…Until She Wasn’t
She was the first professional of her family. Drugs and alcohol were something that affected her life from birth. Despite the family life she grew up in, Erika said, “not me.” She started off in the Police Explorers and a declaration of her future employment at the...
David’s Ribbon
Grieving families often look for ways to prevent future suicides, assist where needed and find some way to fill the void in their lives. Whether it’s through advocacy, photography, writing or other means, they are fighting against suicide daily. We have been gifted a...
100 Officers Gone
We’ve lost one hundred officers to suicide this year. It’s June 25. Are we sensationalizing it? No, just telling you what we know; raising awareness and making people pay attention. Why? If not us, then who? Since January 1, 2016 we began collecting the data and the...
Who Will Shepherd the SheepDog When Suicide is the Wolf?
A few months ago, I was asked to speak at the NYPD/PERF Suicide Prevention Symposium. Tables were arranged in a U shape facing the front of the stage. The bottom of the “U” was the only forward-facing table, a front row seat to the discussion; an opportunity to...
Surviving a Traumatic On-The-Job Experience
Having interviewed hundreds of law enforcement officers and their families, I noticed a common theme. Although not all of the interviews were geared toward critical incidents, eventually all discussions ended there. If the officers weren’t personally involved in a...
167 AMERICAN POLICE OFFICERS DIED BY SUICIDE IN 2018
UPDATED JUNE 15, 2019 - as new deaths are reported, our numbers are updated For the third straight year, police officer suicides exceed all combined causes of line-of-duty deaths. In 2018, at least 167 officers died by suicide, more than the total number of...