, for the more than 3,200 people it says are on its staff, including police officers.
JSO tells Action News Jax it started a Health and Wellness Unit back in April in the hopes officers will speak up if they are struggling. JSO Commander Randi Glossman is helping to lead the unit and said some officers have worried they will appear weak if they ask for help.
“I would turn that around and say, you are actually not weak,” said Commander Glossman, “You are actually very strong, much more of a warrior and a leader by coming forward and saying ‘I do have an issue.’”
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JSO said it’s looking to expand its Health and Wellness Unit over the next few weeks, partly to offer more suicide prevention resources to its officers.
Action News Jax found data from an organization called Blue Help, which has been reporting on suicides within law enforcement since 2016. Blue Help says 88 law enforcement and corrections officers in Florida have committed suicide since 2020 and 34 have taken their lives in Georgia within the same time frame. Of those officers, 103 were still on duty.
Glossman hopes JSO’s new unit won’t just help officers, but encourage community members to speak up, too.
“Suicide is a devastating factor or issue not only in the community but in our profession,” Glossman said, “The more healthy that we are, the healthier that we are for our community.”
JSO said it is, in part, working to provide more mental health resources to the community by partnering with Jacksonville-based nonprofit LSF Health Systems. The organization created the “Zero Suicide Jax” initiative to bring suicide prevention resources to local businesses, schools, churches and other community agencies.
“This is a massive issue, especially in first responder groups,” said Erin Whitaker-Houck, the associate vice president of LSF Health’s clinical operations.
Blue Help has been reporting more law enforcement suicides year over year since 2020, including in Florida and Georgia. JSO and LSF Health tell Action News Jax they are hoping to encourage other law enforcement agencies around northeast Florida to expand their mental health resources.
“Suicide is increasing. It’s a public health crisis,” Whitaker-Houck said, “This is something that each person, where they are, can take a step and help contribute to saving a life.”
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