LEO Mental Health Act Signed into Law by President Trump

President Donald Trump has signed into law the "Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act."  The bill passed the Senate Tuesday night. It passed the House in November.

The new law makes grants available to initiate peer mentoring pilot programs, directs the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to develop resources for mental health providers based on the specific mental health challenges faced by law enforcement, and provides funding for studying the benefits of crisis hotlines and annual mental health checks for officers, WANE reports.

It also directs the Departments of Defense (DoD), Justice, and Veterans Affairs (VA) to confer about existing DoD and VA mental health practices and services that could be adopted by law enforcement agencies.

The law has the support of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), and the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

"We look forward to working with our partners in the Justice Department when they begin this important first step to improve the mental health and wellness of our nation's law enforcement officers," FOP President Chuck Canterbury said in a statement.