2018 Stats we can’t forget:
- 163 officers lost their lives while working in the police profession that they loved.
- 148 officers committed suicide after working in the public service profession.
Total Lives Lost in 2018: 311
Tribute to the Fallen – Everything You Need to Know About Police Week – LINK
We lose too many wonderful individuals each year in the public service profession and we must do more to preserve those who proudly serve every day, says Linda Webb, Founder of RITE.
We should honor our fallen officers by making a concerted effort to help those who are currently still working in the profession, while we mourn and praise those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
The everyday pressures that a public service officer must face can often be surmounting.
Whether they lost their lives in the performance of their duty, or committed suicide, we cannot afford to take a blind eye for the need to focus on Officer Wellness Training, Emotional Intelligence, and Mindfulness Techniques to reduce the effects of PTSD.
Part of the on-going issue in today’s policing is we do not address the onset of PTSD once a the officer is exposed to a traumatic event, and without proper training or mindfulness techniques this will continue to build inside each officer causing irreversible harm, as well as weakening their career resiliency.
The average police officer dies 5 years after retirement, due years of relentless stress and PTSD exposure over 20+ years. Let’s make a commitment to do more to improve officer wellness.
By helping our existing officers with officer wellness, we may just reduce police suicides, while maybe helping police live longer beyond the badge.
On behalf of RITE Academy, we honor our fallen heroes in national police week.