September is suicide prevention month and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office is making sure to focus on its deputies' mental health.
“We have everyday life events just like you or anyone else, then we have the stressors of the job that come with that,” Lieutenant Greg Cochran with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.
In 2019, the number of police officers who committed suicide was almost twice as high as the number killed in the line of duty according to an article on the Georgia Association of Chiefs and Police website by Buddy Johnson, a Master Resiliency Lead Instructor.
“So something had to be done and that is the Georgia resiliency program. It is something to help people deal with this and let them know, it's okay not to be okay,” Lt. Cochran said.
The Georgia Resiliency Program is a curriculum program that focuses on the mental, physical, social, and spiritual well-being of police officers.
In 2014, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office started a wellness program and by 2020, they joined the Georgia Resiliency program.
Lt. Cochran said the program teaches officers how to take better care of themselves so that they can not only be more well-rounded at work but also well-rounded at home. However, the course is not mandatory.
“We’re finding it to be more effective. And the reason is, if you make somebody go to something sometimes they just have a closed mind when they walk in,” Lt. Cochran said.
He said that people are often hesitant about opening up to some of the traumas and stress accumulated from the job.
“They say, typically, in a lifetime that the typical person sees two to three traumatic events in their lifetime. Whereas in a career, a police officer will see up to 180,” Lt. Cochran said.
According to the National Alliance on Mental illness, many officers tend to struggle with alcohol abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD and other challenges.
However, Lt. Cochran stressed that the traumatic experiences that happen on the job are not something that should be dealt with alone or brushed aside. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office has the resources readily available to help deputies deal with the traumas and stressors of the job.
If you or anyone you know is suffering mentally, or having thoughts of suicide call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
