Suicide is always preventable. If you are having thoughts of suicide or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately at 800-273-8255. Counselors are also available to chat at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Remember: You deserve to be supported, and it is never too late to seek help. Speak with someone today.
By Suzie Ziegler
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth aims to help families of police officers who die by suicide after a work-related trauma, CNN is reporting. The legislation would qualify these families for benefits that they would otherwise be denied.
The bill, called the Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022, would designate PTSD or acute stress disorder as an injury sustained in the line of duty if the officer experienced a traumatic event and received a medical diagnosis.
Duckworth told CNN that she was motivated to write the bill after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Four police officers who responded to the attack died by suicide in the months after.
“I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to say, ‘Listen, this isn’t about politics, this is just about taking care of those first responders who took care of us,’” Duckworth said.
The bill would make changes to benefit eligibility requirements for the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, according to CNN. Currently, the bill says officers “who have died or are disabled as a result of suicide or post-traumatic stress disorder do not qualify.”
Duckworth, who is a military veteran, believes more focus should be given to mental health issues among service members and first responders.
“Our first responders, our police officers in particular, need to be told that it’s OK to ask for help,” she told CNN. “There’s a whole culture of just, you know, shaking it off. This happened in the military too.”
The bill is sponsored by Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), according to the report.