NJ Attorney General Announces Plan to Address Officer Suicide

The New Jersey attorney general on Tuesday announced a plan designed to reduce police suicides by building a statewide program that teaches officers ways to better handle the stress of their jobs.

Dubbed the New Jersey Resiliency Program for Law Enforcement, it will require that all New Jersey police officers finish a two-day training course on coping mechanisms by the end of 2022, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. And it will designate at least one member of every local, county and state agency a “chief resiliency officer” who is responsible for the program locally, and can connect officers with help if they need it.

At a Tuesday news conference in Newark, Grewal said the program will fight the stigma officers often face when they open up about their problems, which, left unchecked, can lead to physical ailments, depression and burnout, NorthJersey.com reports.

Grewal said the program is the first of its kind in the nation.