Blue H.E.L.P. has been tracking such data since 2016. The DOJ's effort will be entirely separate from that effort.
Blue H.E.L.P. issued a statement earlier this year that said 228 police officer suicides were reported in 2019. There were 172 suicides reported in 2018, 168 in 2017, and 143 in 2016.
Editor's Note: If you or someone you know has ideation of suicide or is approaching crisis, please know that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. Safe Call Now (1-206-459-3020) offers those services specifically for first responders.
On a
website
maintained by
BlueH.E.L.P.
—an organization that tracks officer suicides while simultaneously seeking to prevent such tragedies from occurring—a first responder need only enter a few data points—such as their location and what kind of assistance is needed—and the individual will be provided with a list of options for help from a searchable database dedicated to helping first responders find emotional, financial, spiritual, and other forms of assistance.
