Barr says U.S. has "moral obligation" to combat rise in police suicides
Miami — Attorney General William Barr encouraged law enforcement officers to come forward and seek treatment for mental health issues, relaying a personal anecdote to emphasize the importance of asking for help in trying times.
Speaking at a conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Miami on Thursday, Barr said the Trump administration is committed to helping law enforcement agencies improve mental health care for officers amid a drastic increase in the number of reported deaths by suicide over the past several years. He said Americans "have a moral obligation to do all we can to support the men and women who keep us safe."
"Officers are seeing the worst side of society. What they are seeing today is worse than ever, and they are seeing it much more often," Barr told the conference, which focused on officer safety and wellness. "Police officers, as you know, are at higher risk of suicide than any other profession."
The attorney general spoke about his own ambivalence toward accepting help when his youngest daughter Meg was hospitalized with a rare form of cancer several years ago.
"We went up to Boston for treatment. And in addition to the various priests I had hanging around, the hospital assigned a social worker to us, and she came into the room and said, 'Hi, I'm your social worker,' and my immediate impulse was, 'Hey, you know, we're a strong family, we don't need a social worker,'" Barr told the crowd.
"She was one of the greatest things that happened to us during this six-month period we were up in Boston. We've become very close friends, our family and her, and she was just a godsend," he continued. "So I understand the instinct to say, 'We don't need the help,' but that's one of the things that I think we have to work on overcoming in the law enforcement community to address this problem."
Barr told CBS News more about that experience in a conversation after his remarks, saying the social worker "would sit with us when we would wait for some of the tests." He added that she and other spiritual advisers not only guided them through the system but helped them during some of the most trying moments when waiting for the results.
In his speech, the attorney general pointed to statistics showing the rate of death by suicide among officers and firefighters is 40% higher than the national average. In 2019, 228 current and retired police officers died by suicide, according to data from the nonprofit group Blue H.E.L.P. That represents a 44% increase over the previous year, Barr noted.
"Not only is that higher than the number of line-of-duty deaths, it reflects a steady increase in officer suicides over the past several years," he said. "These are staggering statistics, and a lot more has to be done. Our men and women who wear the badge are some of the country's strongest and bravest people, and like the rest of us, there are times in their lives when they need support."
On the mind of everyone here at the conference were two NYPD officers, one of whom was retired, who died by suicide in just the past two weeks. On a recent trip to New York, Barr met with NYPD leaders and a new psychologist who has recently been hired to find ways to curb the disturbing trend. The department began offering free confidential counseling to officers last year.
Barr told CBS News he is pleased with the NYPD's approach, which helps teach officers "how to recognize things, how to broach the subject."
"Even people who consider themselves to be very strong encounter situations and difficulties where they could use support, and it's not a sign of weakness," Barr said.
The conference featured the first meeting of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Created by executive order in October 2019, the commission is tasked with working to find modern solutions for reducing crime, and includes a working group devoted to improving officers' physical and mental health. Barr told CBS News he is encouraged by the interest in local law enforcement to become more involved with the commission.
Barr said he has also spoken to Alexander Azar, the secretary of health and human services, about collaborating on research about suicide among veterans and law enforcement.
"They've been doing a very deep study of suicide among veterans, and are amassing a lot of learning and data, and I've told him that I'd like to make sure that we work together on this and that the commission and the working group that are working for us on this issue get the benefit of their thoughts and learning," Barr said. "There's a lot of overlap, because so many of our officers are veterans, and I think it would be very helpful to study their findings."
For immediate help if you are in a crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.
