House bill would require FBI to track police officer suicides, suicide attempts

A bill that would require the FBI to collect data on suicides and attempted suicides by police officers was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

The FBI tracks police and law enforcement personnel deaths in the line of duty, but there is no such effort to track suicides or attempted suicides by law enforcement. The bill – the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act — would establish a Law Enforcement Officers Suicide Data Collection Program to collect data on at the local, state, and federal level on both current and former officers. The FBI Director would be required to submit a report to Congress each year based on the data.

“Suicide among our law enforcement community is rising at a troubling rate,” Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “Tackling this problem means collecting the very best information we can – and then using that information to design programs that address the challenges our law enforcement professionals face. We owe them nothing less.”

Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Greg Steube (R-FL) are also sponsors of the legislation.

“Law enforcement officers place themselves in danger for their communities every day, running toward danger when everyone else runs away from it. The least we can do to give back to these brave men and women is to ensure that we fight for their mental health. A critical step in that mission is understanding the number of officers who attempt suicide or lose their lives to suicide every year,” Quigley said. “Many non-profits already estimate that suicide takes the lives of more officers than line-of-duty deaths. By establishing a government data collection program that compiles accurate information on suicide rates, we can better serve law enforcement officers, establish effective prevention practices, and save lives.”

This bill has been endorsed by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD, National Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, Major County Sheriffs of America, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, National Narcotic Officers’ Associations Coalition, American Psychiatric Association, and the National Sheriffs Association.

“The mental health crisis in this country is staggering—especially amongst groups that put their lives on the line for our communities and our country,” Steube said. “I’m proud to support this bill to collect data on law enforcement and former law enforcement suicides and attempted suicides in the hopes that we can address this crisis.”

Chuck Canterbury, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said more police officers are lost each year to suicide than in the line of duty.

“In recent years, suicide has become the number one cause of death for federal, state, and local law enforcement officers around the country,” Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD, said. “In 2019 alone, there have been more than 100 verified law enforcement suicides—including two of my very good friends and former colleagues in just the past month. The SBA is proud to support this important legislation so that we can learn more about the rise in police suicides, develop solutions to reduce these numbers, and improve the delivery of mental health services for the brave men and women of law enforcement.”