Encore | Preventing Death by Suicide: A Chief-to-Chief Leadership Wellness Discussion, Part 1

Suicide prevention is a major concern within law enforcement. Health and wellness programs are being created across the country to help officers and their families ensure that they will not become victims of a suicide tragedy. This virtual panel discussion will explore such prevention programs and share other avenues that address suicide prevention by engaging law enforcement leadership in their strategies and best practices. Law enforcement chiefs from across North America will share their leadership journeys into enhancing officer wellness programs across an array of day-to-day professional services and response to critical incidents involving officer involved shootings, officer suicides, and other mental health events. The discussion will also include the impact of increasing morale and building acceptance for the concepts of creating a police family environment for all employees, volunteers, and retired personnel by demonstrating care and accepting that “it is okay not to be okay.”Part 1 begins with opening remarks from Marcia Ferranto, the CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, and then introductions by the panelists. A discussion then touches on key building blocks and organization structures used to build a successful wellness program to help prevent death by suicides with the law enforcement profession.For more information about this program, please visit.Keynote Speaker:The Honorable Abigail Spanberger, Representative, U.S. House of RepresentativesModerator:Col. Edwin Roessler, Chief of Police, Fairfax County (VA) Police DepartmentPanelists:Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department of the District of ColumbiaSuperintendent Martin Bruce, Support Services Division, Vancouver (WA) Police DepartmentAssistant Chief Beatrice Girmala, Director, Office of Support Services, Los Angeles (CA) Police DepartmentDr. Luann Pannell, Director, Police Training and Education, Los Angeles (CA) Police DepartmentDr. Denise Jablonski Kaye, Police Psychologist, Los Angeles (CA) Police DepartmentSergeant Joe King, Director, Boston Police Peer Support Unit, Boston (MA) Police DepartmentDr. Bernie Gonzalez, Founder and Director, Boundless Leadership ConsultingJosh Goldberg, Executive Director, Boulder Crest Foundationhttps://nleomf.org/museum/precinct-444/