Leading Your Agency Through a Police Suicide: Law Changes and Strategies to Consider

Sunday, October 20, 2024

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Location: 204AB

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Dianne bernhard

Executive Director
Concerns of Police Survivors
Camdenton, Missouri, United States

Speaker(s)

Megan Amaturo

Grant and Project Specialist
The Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health, New Jersey, United States
Hope Janke

Deputy Director Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

When an officer dies by suicide, the police administrator is faced with the challenge of navigating their many responsibilities in the aftermath. The officer's family may be eligible for benefits and will need assistance and support. The coworkers of the officer are in need of support, and a plan needs to be formed to prevent to avoid contagion suicide in the agency. In this session, Public Safety Officers' Benefits Director Hope Janke will provide information on applying for benefits under the Public Safety Support Act of 2022, including ways to avoid delays in processing. The executive director of Concerns of Police Survivors will offer valuable insight into the dynamics surrounding an officer's suicide death and will provide strategies for administrators to consider when faced with decisions following a death.