Training and Resources

Through our mission to Honor, Educate, Lead, and Prevent we’ve establish a large network of highly qualified and passionate trainers and speakers.  We also have daily contact with organizations, agencies, and individuals who desperately need training.  By submitting this form our team connects requests for training with those who are best suited to provide it.

 

Hidden
Prevention
Predictors of Police Suicide Ideation A powerful new resource is now available for police, fire, and EMS responders, dispatchers, and corrections officers — as well as their spouses — who are in crisis or at risk of suicide. 1st Alliance has just launched 1st Help, a searchable database dedicated to finding emotional, financial, and religious assistance for first responders.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center for LE Police officers can contribute to suicide prevention in many ways. They can help individuals at risk for suicide stay safe and obtain the help they need, and can also provide support to survivors at the scene of a suicide. Law enforcement agencies also have a role to play in assisting officers themselves, as the trauma and stress of responding to crises could increase suicide risk in this population.
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (LE Specific) This facilitation guide, which accompanies the Breaking the Silence: Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement Video, is designed to elevate and support suicide prevention efforts within the national law enforcement community.
In Harm’s Way There is a brutal truth in law enforcement…that an officer is more likely to be a victim of suicide than a homicide. More officers die from suicide than from line-of-duty deaths, yet little is being done to address this highly preventable loss. This webpage offers a plethora of resources, reproducible materials, articles with varying viewpoints, statistics and opinions from which readers can form their own conclusions on the magnitude of the law enforcement suicide problem, its causes and the best approaches to finding a solution.
SUPE Suicide Prevention
 Mental health issues and substance use, whether with drugs or alcohol, are significantly intertwined. Unfortunately, speaking about the topic can be challenging, and many people avoid it altogether. But SUPE is here to break the silence and start the conversation.
They say, “It’s critical to create dialogue and begin addressing this problem head-on. Too many individuals struggle in silence, and countless families lose loved ones.”
Resources for Suicide Prevention If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming yourself, help is out there. Below are resources for suicide prevention that you can use for yourself or pass along to someone you know.
The Ultimate PTSD Resource Guide PTSD is a mental health condition caused by trauma that can make it harder for you to function normally. PTSD is somewhat common, and even though that’s an unfortunate fact, it also means that you’re not alone.  Even though PTSD can be distressing, it is treatable. This ultimate PTSD resource guide will go over the facts about PTSD, what causes it, who can get it, and how to get help. 
Hotlines
Copline 1-800-267-5463
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255
Cop 2 Cop 1-866-267-2267
Books
The Price They Pay The Price They Pay will attempt to return to the modern police officer something they have been lacking for a long time – humanity. Find out what it’s really like to walk the path of an emotionally or physically injured officer and why the belief that every officer is supported and cared for through the thin blue line is a fallacy.
CopShock: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Nightmares, flashbacks, anger, concentration problems, emotional detachment, avoidance of people and places… These are some of the signs of PTSD. CopShock prepares police officers for the aftermath of horrific trauma, helps families understand PTSD’s effect on their loved ones, tells true stories of officers-men and women-with PTSD, and offers over 200 support sources.
Emotional survival for law enforcement: A guide for officers and their families This book is designed to help law-enforcement professionals overcome the internal assaults experience both personally and organizationally over the course of their careers.
Break Every Chain A police officer’s battle with alcoholism, depression, and devastating loss; and the true story of how God changed his life forever
Bulletproof Spirit: The First Responder’s Essential Resource for Protecting and Healing Mind and Heart As a thirty-year law-enforcement veteran, retired police captain, and police academy instructor, Dan Willis has witnessed the damage of emotional trauma and has made it his personal mission to safeguard and enhance the wellness and wholeness of police officers, firefighters, EMTs, emergency-room personnel, and soldiers.
I Love a Cop, Third Edition: What Police Families Need to Know Police families are brave, resilient, and proud–and they face remarkable challenges, sometimes on a daily basis. Now thoroughly updated for today’s turbulent times, this is the resource that cops and their loved ones have relied on for decades.
Second Careers for Street Cops Use your experience as a police officer to start a second career. A practical guide for law enforcement officers.
Living Through Personal Crisis This book is about the small and large losses that happen to people, experiences that plunge them into a state of adjustment. It guides those moving through the mourning process and those who are struggling with depression and other symptoms of distress as they start to realize that they are grieving their loss.
Surviving the Shadows A Journey of Hope into Post-Traumatic Stress
Counseling Cops: What Clinicians Need to Know Grounded in clinical research, extensive experience, and deep familiarity with police culture, this book offers highly practical guidance for psychotherapists and counselors. The authors vividly depict the pressures and challenges of police work and explain the impact that line-of-duty issues can have on officers and their loved ones.
The Gift of Second: Healing from the Impact of Suicide In The Gift of Second, you will: -Explore the ins and outs of grief and trauma -Release the guilt and shame survivors carry -Recognize how to take care of yourself -Gain practical tips for enduring the first year -Discover what helps other survivors -Determine when to seek professional help -Stop replaying the past and blaming yourself -START healing in a healthy way
After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief A practical guide for coping with suicide, from the first few days through the first year and beyond.
Increasing Resilience in Police and Emergency Personnel: Strengthening Your Mental Armor This book illuminates the psychological, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual impact of police work on police officers, administrators, emergency communicators, and their families.
Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child Meant to comfort and give direction to bereaved parents, Beyond Tears is written by nine mothers who have each lost a child. This revised edition includes a new chapter written from the perspective of surviving siblings.
Mindfulness For Warriors Empowering First Responders to Reduce Stress and Build Resilience (Book for Doctors, Police, Nurses, Firefighters, Paramedics, Military, and Others)
Guts, Grit & The Grind: A MENtal Mechanics MANual: Basic Mechanics Here you will find stories of mental health challenges of men, written by men, for men in similar circumstances – inspiring stories of resilience, recovery and transformation. With a dash of humor and mental health science, tools, and exercises, our goal is to help men help themselves, to overcome hardship and build and maintain a life worth living.
Bulletproof Marriage Bulletproof Marriage is a 90-day devotional that applies biblical principles to support and strengthen the marriages of military members, law enforcement officers, and first responders.
Armor Your Self: How To Survive A Career In Law Enforcement This book helps law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This book is also for law enforcement family members to use to learn how to help your family survive this career as well.
Dying for the Job: Police Work Exposure and Health When one thinks of police work, the immediate danger of this occupation comes to mind the everyday threat of violence, death, and witnessing traumatic events in their work. Less noted however is the physical and psychological danger associated with police work, including harmful environmental exposure, stress and trauma. Based on research, the adverse health and psychological consequences of this occupation far outweigh the dangers of the street.
Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue Doctor Violanti discusses the classical studies in suicide, the accuracy and validity of police suicide rates, probable precipitating factors associated with police suicide, the impact of retirement, the idea of ‘suicide by suspect,’ the antecedents of murder-suicide, the plight of survivors of police suicide, and information and suggestions for police suicide prevention. Also discussed is the relationship between suicide and the reluctance of police officers to seek professional help.
Mindful Responder Mindful Responder combines science, stories, exercises, interviews, and firsthand experience to explore mindfulness and meditation in a practical, no-nonsense, and often hilarious manner. This is your field guide for improving resilience, fulfillment, presence, and fitness—on and off the job.
Mental Health Fight Of The Heroes in Blue This book was written by a police officer who, speaking from personal experience, and sourcing the help of trusted experts, walks anyone through the steps law enforcement officers can take to be shielded from having mental breakdowns and God forbid, become a suicide statistic. Within this resource are five key methodologies proven to increase mental clarity as a police officer.
Officer Safety: REDEFINED The information in this book will give officers the knowledge and tools they need to meet both the physical and psychological threats they will encounter when they choose a career in law enforcement. This will result in better mental and physical health. Over time, the stress, negativity and traumatic events an officer sees repeatedly during the course of a law enforcement career can compromise the officer’s psychological resiliency.
Invisible String The Invisible String offers a very simple approach to overcoming loneliness, separation, or loss with an imaginative twist that children easily understand and embrace, and delivers a particularly compelling message in today’s uncertain times.
The Memory Box: A Book About Grief From the perspective of a young child, Joanna Rowland artfully describes what it is like to remember and grieve a loved one who has died. The child in the story creates a memory box to keep mementos and written memories of the loved one, to help in the grieving process.
Why Wont You Play With Me? Why Won’t You Play With Me? is a tool to help begin the conversation with our little ones to help them understand that the PTSD is about our experiences and not about them. It is a way to help the little ones understand that you love them with all of our heart, but are struggling.
Saving Heroes: A Warrior s Journey Through Rehabilitation This book is a riveting story of a veteran’s quest to rescue military and first responder families from the captivity of post-traumatic stress. You’ll find simple answers to complicated problems, including how to break free from self-imprisonment, overcome thoughts of suicide, and wage spiritual warfare.
Gizmo’s Pawsume Guide to Mental Health The goal of this new curriculum, written from Gizmo’s perspective, is to teach young children to care for their mental health by recognizing warning signs and developing healthy coping strategies.
Bruised and Wounded: Struggling to Understand Suicide Recent events have shown again how suicide touches all of us — often when we least expect it. But how to unpack the grief that follows such a painful, and often stigmatized, death? Ron Rolheiser can help.”
Postvention
TAPS Suicide Postvention Model The TAPS Suicide Postvention ModelTM is a three-phase approach to suicide grief that offers a framework for survivors and providers in the aftermath of a suicide. This framework proposes guidance on how to build a foundation for an adaptive grief journey and creates a research-informed, proactive, intentional pathway to posttraumatic growth.
Attempt Survivors: How To Take Care Of Yourself You can recover from a suicide attempt. It takes time to heal both physically and emotionally, but healing and help can happen.
After a Suicide in Blue: A Guide for Law Enforcement Agencies Postvention is the organized response to the aftermath of a suicide. A comprehensive postvention response assists in addressing the complex factors after a member of law enforcement suicide death with the goals of providing effective and compassionate support, promoting healing, and reducing the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior for those impacted

 

Other Informative Articles
Vicarious Traumatization and Spirituality in Law Enforcement Patrol officers face the risk of violence on a daily basis, leading many people to consider law enforcement an inherently stressful occupation. Law enforcement administrators need to take a closer look at how traumatic events can alter their employees’ world views and senses of spirituality, which ultimately affects the well-being of both personnel and organizations.
Law Officer – Police Suicide: The Untold Stories – January, 2017, Karen Solomon Each time an officer puts on their uniform, it covers not only their skin, but their life. The public only sees the uniform and what they think it represents. They fail to see the person underneath. Each uniform covers a different story that has created a unique personality with specific emotional needs. There is no test that can predict which officer’s burden will become too much or when that might happen.
Law Officer – Police Suicide: The Untold Stories – Part 2 – February, 2017, Karen Solomon This column continues the conversation about law enforcement suicide – and the story of three officers whose lives intersected for less than hour but were changed forever.
Law Officer – 2016 Police Suicide: Collecting Data Is Easy…. – January, 2017, Karen Solomon Collecting data has been easy, the more difficult task is collecting the stories, photos, memories and emotions of the families involved. Unanswered questions, shame, stigma and fear haunt the 98 law enforcement families who’s loved ones completed suicide in 2016.
Calibre Press – Humanizing the Badge – November, 2016, Karen Solomon This new community will understand that police are brave, strong, and stoic, because sometimes that’s necessary to go on doing the job. But police are also vulnerable, damaged, and human. We all are.
Law Officer – The Forgotten Cops – November, 2016, Karen Solomon We are in the thick of it again; death by vehicular assaults, ambushes and criminals on the scene with guns. Amidst all of this, we are forgetting one thing.  We are forgetting the survivors. An officer held his partner while he died in the street. Another officer awoke from his injuries to find that his partner did not survive. Yet another officer found his colleague dead in his cruiser.
PoliceOne – “I got shot in the face”: How I survived and healed – June, 2014, Steve Hough Sixty rounds fired in ten seconds — 60 rounds, 10 seconds. That sounds like something out of a movie, but it isn’t — it wasn’t. Tactical training and a proper mindset had prepared me for a day like this, but I quickly learned I hadn’t prepared enough.
PoliceOne – My partner got shot in the face and I was collateral damage – June, 2014, Jeff McGill “Shots fired, officer down” — four words LEOs never want to hear. The shooting was over in mere seconds. One of us was shot.
Police Magazine – 10 Reasons You Should Not Care About Police Week – May 16, 2014, Karen Solomon By now I hope you have figured out that you should care about Police Week. If you are reading this and you are an officer or their family, I wish you all the safety in the world and the knowledge that you are not alone. We are grateful for all that you do and the sacrifices you make.
Sleep Disturbances as an Evidence-Based Suicide Risk Factor Increasing research indicates that sleep disturbances may confer increased risk for suicidal behaviors, including suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and death by suicide.
Meta-Analysis of Sleep Disturbance and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors The potential association of various sleep disturbances to suicidal thoughts and behaviors is the subject of several reviews. The current metaanalysis was conducted to estimate the size of the association generally as well as between more specific relationships.
Mental Health Disability Rights in The Workplace: A Guide For Employees Struggling with your mental health can make it difficult to function on a daily basis and handle every-day activities, including employment. Mental health disorders can affect one’s ability to work as expected in a variety of ways, and these struggles are often misunderstood. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any options. This article is intended to help guide you through your rights and provide education on the challenges that may arise from struggling with mental health at work. It’s important to remember that you aren’t alone in these struggles. 
Calibre Press – A New Effort to Bring Care to First Responders in Need – May 19, 2016, Karen Solomon Once a first responder is traumatized by what he or she experiences, where do they turn to heal their wounds? Should they be burned in a fire or struck by a bullet or knife, what happens next? It’s a question they often ask themselves.
VA Disability and Depression Service-connected mental health conditions are prevalent among veterans, and one of the most common is depression. If you experience disabling depression related to your time in the military, you may be entitled to disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Departmental Resources
Vicarious Trauma Toolkit The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) was developed on the premise that exposure to the traumatic experiences of other people—known as vicarious trauma—is an inevitable occupational challenge of first responders. The VTT includes tools and resources tailored specifically to these fields that provide the knowledge and skills necessary for organizations to address the vicarious trauma needs
Officer Safety & Wellness – IACP Support for officer safety is crucial for the wellbeing of officers and their colleagues, agencies, families, and communities. The IACP believes in prioritizing officer safety every shift, every day. Explore the collection of existing resources to support the safety, health, and wellness of every officer from recruitment through retirement, on and off the job, and across every rank. Learn about a wide variety topics ranging from health and nutrition to suicide prevention
4 things police leaders should be doing to stop police suicide Law enforcement has made significant gains in raising awareness around suicide among first responders. But sometimes the very messages used to promote awareness can cause harm and undermine suicide prevention efforts. Fortunately, there is a safe way to talk about suicide.
Guide to Managing Stress in Crisis Response Professions A Guide to Managing Stress in Crisis Response Professions provides a framework for stress management strategies for crisis response workers and managers. These strategies are sufficiently broad so that individuals and groups can select those that best fit their needs and circumstances.
Calibre Press – Helping Officers Handle the Mentally Ill – March, 2017, Karen Solomon Whether or not we believe that law enforcement should be responsible for diffusing situations with the mentally ill, the fact is that many families call 9-1-1 when a situation spirals out of control. They hope an officer will bring a mixture of negotiation skills, an authoritative presence, and compassion, which will allow the family to regain control of the situation. For this to happen, officers must be trained to provide the kind of intervention needed without arresting and/or injuring the families that have called for help.
Effects of a Comprehensive Police Suicide Prevention Program This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the effects of a multifaceted program to prevent suicides in the police force in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
PoliceOne – Why care for injured cops shouldn’t stop after a debrief – November, 2016, Karen Solomon When we speak of survivors in law enforcement, we often speak of the families that are left behind after an officer is killed in the line of duty. It is our duty to honor and memorialize the ones who are lost and support their families, but it’s also our duty to honor and care for the ones that continue to live.
Officer Suicide: Understanding the Challenges and Developing a Plan of Action This infographic provides law enforcement executives a snapshot of the trend in officer suicide and offers a starting point for solutions to help prevent tragedy within their own agencies.
Officer Post-Event Guide Suicide among American law enforcement personnel is not a new phenomenon. It has been a leading threat to the lives of our men and women in uniform for decades. However, with the best measures in place and the best intentions, we need to be prepared when an officer death by suicide occurs.
Sidney Police Department: First Responder Down An example of a First Responder Down Policy that specifically recognize suicide in their policy, though the majority of departments today still do not.
Sample Funeral Policy This is a Sample Funeral Protocol for Suicide to be used by departments in the absence of Off-Duty Death Protocol. For support or information, please feel free to contact us ([email protected])