September 15, 2020
IACP: Messaging About Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement
Words matter and talking about suicide can be difficult. The way a police agency talks about suicide can have a significant impact on suicide prevention. Agencies, officers, and family members can learn how to properly talk about the topic of suicide in Messaging about Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement: Strategies for Safe and Positive Messaging. This resource helps encourage conversation, promote resiliency, boost help-seeking, and encourage other behaviors that will help prevent suicide. This was developed through the National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide (the Consortium) and focuses on the importance of safe messaging. Through the Consortium, five task force groups were formed to identify recommendations and considerations for the policing profession as it relates to suicide prevention efforts in an agency or department: messaging, data and research, organization and system change, peer support, and family support. This resource provides information for leadership to use to help promote and support suicide prevention efforts. The document can be found here.
