No One Fights Alone: Simple Implementable Tactics to Prevent Suicide

Law enforcement officer (LEO) wellness is mission critical. Most suicide prevention discussions revolve around data showing increased rates of suicide and few actionable tactics. The current talk focuses on a simple data-supported intervention, the Crisis Response Plan (CRP), which was developed to help manage suicidal crises and has been shown to reduce suicide attempts by 76 percent in high-risk individuals. The CRP is a personalized tool that includes warning signs, coping strategies, reasons for living, social support, and professional services. We will discuss how departments typically respond to their own officers who are in crisis and alternative evidenced-based practices. We will review data on CRP, discuss adaptations for LEOs, and implementation strategies for peer support teams.