Ep. 63 National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day 9/26 – revisiting my interview from Sept. 2021 with Inspector Steve Hough co-creator of Blue H.E.L.P.
To mark the four-year anniversary of my podcast I’m taking a look back and reposting a few episodes from the early days with content and issues that remain relevant today. This is about the tragedy of officer suicide, not just the loss of life, but how that loss of life is regarded. We are all keenly aware of the devastating frequency with which we see reports of yet another officer who has taken his or her own life. For many of you, these losses are not news reports – they are personal and painful. As I said when I aired this interview in 2021, I want to draw attention to this issue and the support that does exist to prevent suicide and do what small part I can to honor those we have lost. So, for National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day on Sept. 26, I’m reposting this interview with Inspector Steve Hough who along with Karen Solomon and Dr. Jeffrey McGill founded Blue H.E.L.P., a non-profit organization committed to honoring the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers who have been lost to suicide and to supporting their families and loved ones. It is the only organization in the country that collects LE suicide data. Blue H.E.L.P. also works to de-stigmatize mental health and job stress issues and connects officers to wellness and treatment programs. Blue H.E.L.P. is the organization that in 2020 designated Sept. 26 as National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day.
At Blue H.E.L.P.’s website https://bluehelp.org/ you can find important information on services; stories of family members who have lost their LEO to suicide; the Honor Wall recognizing the service of those officers; and information on what you can do for National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day.
Blue Help is part of First Help which extends the same honor and services to all first responders and military veterans lost to suicide. This month, First Help unveiled Heroes Memorial Park in Rockwall, Texas which features the monument they are creating on which the names of all first responders and military veterans lost to suicide will be etched. Here is a link with more information:
https://1sthelp.org/memorial-park/
And one programming note, this originally aired as I said in 2021 when we were in the midst of the pandemic; Covid for that period was taking more lives than we were losing to suicide.
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