By sara_slone@nationalcops.org • 06 Jul, 2020

As the C.O.P.S. membership continues to grow, we continue to see the incredible strength and resiliency that is born from the blue family. The blue family is vast and people take care of each other.



Throughout C.O.P.S.’ travels at events and conferences hosted by other police organizations, a topic that is extremely difficult to address has been at the forefront of conversations; Police suicide. The leadership of C.O.P.S. has also discussed this topic, specifically their survivors, for many years. There has been a desire to help, but C.O.P.S. was already growing at a record pace and timing was not ideal.



C.O.P.S. started when 10 surviving spouses realized they simply needed each other and a place to be together to talk and grieve with others who “get it”. They needed a network of peer support all across the nation.



In 2019, over 150 officers died in the line of duty. Over 220 officers died by suicide. That’s almost 400 officers taken from us in one year.



It’s no surprise to anybody that suicide seems to be a taboo topic. The survivors left behind feel isolated and are hesitant to talk about how their loved one died. They are pummeled with questions like, “Were there signs?”, “Why would they ever do this to themselves?”, “How could they do this to their families?”, or even the all too common and unapologetic comment of, “Suicide is selfish.”



Additionally, the co-workers of officers who die by suicide rarely have a support system either. Police leaders often do not know how to react to a suicide within their own agencies, or how to support the families.



Survivors of suicide are faced with questions of, “Was it something I did?” They suffer with endless ideas of how they could’ve helped their loved one and prevented them from taking their own life.



How could they not have known their loved one was on the brink of suicide? The answer in most cases is, they simply didn’t know. Their loved one didn’t talk about it. Work was work. Home was home. Or they did know and reached out for help and there was no help.



Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues are plaguing departments all acrossthe nation. Police officers see things we are never meant to see. From domestic violence, child abuse, and murders, to having to fire their weapons to protect themselves or others. They deal with fear of backlash if they shoot during a “kill or be killed” critical incident. They stand poised and emotionless as they salute the family of a fallen comrade, deliver the folded flag, and go right back to their job because it is their duty to protect. Emotions and feelings that should be expressed are hidden away.



Cheryl Schultz is the Immediate Past President of C.O.P.S. and the surviving spouse of Pojoaque (NM) Tribal Police Officer Kevin Schultz, EOW 8/17/2002. As part of the C.O.P.S. National Board, Cheryl has been a proponent of forming a separate organization to support survivors of police suicide.



She knows all too well the struggles officers experience when they go through a critical incident. One of Kevin’s co-workers struggled with depression and attempted suicide several times while another died by suicide. “Kevin’s friends had demons they did not know how to deal with,” Cheryl said. “If we make it okay to talk about trauma, instead of officers feeling alone, we can start preventing police suicide and spare families from losing their officer.” Cheryl added, “Compassion is a state of constant giving of one’s self for others,” and, “that is what the C.O.P.S. family is all about.”

