Page 27 - August 2018

‘Command emphasis’ needed for suicide prevention
Hello, my fraternal brothers and sisters. Sep- tember is Suicide Awareness Month, and we need to help each other to stop the unthinkable.
President Barack Obama stated, “To anyone out there who’s hurting — it’s not a sign
of weakness to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength.” It is my wish that this article
may help us all understand that if you need help, we will be there for you.
When I was a platoon leader, my Army unit was deployed to Desert Storm. We were a very
close-knit group, and I really got to know my soldiers. One night in the middle of the desert, we celebrated the end of the war with a bonfire, glow lights and music. My soldiers were free to talk to me, so that night an E-4 sat next to me to chat. Everyone in our platoon thought he was a little crazy, but he was lethal with an M60 machine gun and a solid soldier.
He said, “Sir, if I get back home and nothing in my life feels as good as this, then I’m going to kill myself.”
I just thought he was being goofy and crazy as always. But shortly after we got home, he pulled his car off to the side of a road and shot himself with a Colt M1911A2, the type of side- arm we carried in the Gulf War. I often ask myself why I didn’t do something. Why didn’t I get him the help he needed?
Many of us find ourselves in two professions where sui- cide rates are higher than the national average. In the Chica- go Police Department alone, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) reported a 60 percent higher rate of suicide deaths than the national average. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives, also examined our de- partment. They reported that the Chicago Police Department suicide rate was 29.4 per 1,000 department members between 2013-2015. Meanwhile, the national average was 18.1 per 1,000 people.
When I was a battalion commander, the U.S. Army Reserve Commanding General ordered all of his commanders to his headquarters for a meeting. What he said has stayed with me: “We cannot have our soldiers who survived the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan come home and kill themselves.”
He placed a command emphasis and ordered all training to stop so that our soldiers could take suicide prevention classes. We were able to lower the rate of suicide but not eliminate it. We could use command emphasis in the CPD.
I found that many of the reasons soldiers don’t seek help are the same reasons our fraternal brothers and sisters don’t. At a public forum about police reform, Superintendent Johnson stated, “Law enforcement historically has been seen as a very macho profession. To say you needed help was seen as a sign of weakness, and we were wrong for looking at it that way, we were simply wrong.”
But CPD officers have an additional burden: Many believe that seeking counseling will result in the loss of their Firearm Owner Identification Card (FOID), meaning the officer would then be fired. Superintendent Johnson, if you really care about the officers in your command, then eliminate the FOID card as a condition of maintaining an officer’s employment. This
may save an officer’s life.
I examined the Employee Resource 06-01 (EO 06-01) Pro-
fessional Counseling Division/Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EO 06-01 explains the department’s program, and Section II B states: “...no information, including iden- tifying factors, identifying biographical material, clini- cal notes, or therapy issues, be reported to or request- ed by the Department, except where required by law.” EAP officers cannot notify anyone of your condition unless you are in danger of hurting someone or your-
self.
I’m asking those officers who have symptoms of depression,
feelings of helplessness or just need to talk through struggles such as divorce, or whatever it might be, to get the help you need. If it’s not through EAP or another organization, please get the help you need somewhere. Below are some links to other organizations that might help you.
Lastly, you can contact me, the CPD chaplains or even your FOP office. We will all get you the help you need. Stay safe, and be careful out there. d
If you have a question or comment, please send me an email at LTC_Cruz@wowway.com.
JERRY CRUZ
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CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2018 27