Police Suicides and Mental Wellness

Evaluating the current psychological services and screening methods

To improve the survival rate of police officers

To create a more supportive environment to officers who have sustained mental trauma

City of Houston

Houston Police Department

Street-level officers

Citizens

Finding officers who are willing to be researched

Convincing the department leadership that this study is worth pursuing

Obtaining time/cooperation from Psych Services Division

Only staffed with 3-4 doctors for the entire department of 5100.

Study in only conducted within HPD; not including other law enforcement agencies.

HCSO

Bellaire PD

Spring Valley/Hedwig Village/Memorial City PD

Fort Bend SO

Sugarland PD

Montgomery County SO

UH/UT PD

Stigma of seeking help

Fear of being placed off-work

Alcoholism

Lack of mental health monitoring

PTSD (Both work-related and non-work related)

War veterans

Trauma from critical incidents

Odd Shift Hours

Family time

Personal/Rehab time

HPD Psychological Services Division

Sufficient in maintaining mental health of employees?

Can screening methods be improved?

Are we able to implement an effective monitoring system?

Need more resources?

Improved counseling methods for psychologists

Awareness of the current status quo

Creating a transparent awareness of "problematic" individuals