When officers at the Olathe Adult Detention Center in Kansas heard the emergency code over the radio, they knew something terrible had happened, but no one imagined that one of their own had taken his own life.

The officer, who had finished his shift earlier in the day, had returned to the jail, and his locker, to retrieve his gun. Within minutes of returning he turned his firearm on himself. In the wake of this incident two years ago, officers and administrators were left wondering what they could have done to stop it.

"One of the greatest problems is people don't want to discuss their problems because [they fear] others will tend to think you are weak," said Deputy Christopher Toske of the Johnson County, Kan., Sheriff Department in Olathe.

Toske, who was a close friend of the officer who died, was one of the first people to respond to the emergency call after it came over the radio. He spoke about officer stress and suicide prevention at the recent American Jail Association conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

"After our suicide, someone said 'We need to forget about what happened,'" said Toske. But the sheriff's department did just the opposite.

Under the leadership of Facility Administrator Major Bret Cortright, Toske and another deputy Kimberly Martin became involved in the county's critical incident debriefing team. At the time of the officer suicide at the Olathe Adult Detention Center, no corrections personnel were members of this group, which had worked with jail officers after the incident.

According to Cortright, the critical incident stress management team included firefighters, police, mental health staff, social workers, and others. After team members talked to jail staff following the suicide, the group asked if members of the jail staff could become involved.

Toske came to mind, Cortright said, because he had recently completed a lesson plan for officers on inmate suicide prevention. Then Martin, who was an acquaintance of the officer who died, also expressed interest in the group.

In their presentation at the AJA conference in Kansas City, they offered suggestions for identifying others who might be in need of support and intervention.

Understanding Officer Suicide

According to Toske, there are several myths about suicide that should be dispelled. One, he said centers on the likelihood of suicide among law enforcement officers. Toske said research shows that it isn't the profession but rather the typical officer's age, race and gender that makes the rate of suicide higher.

Another myth is that if you ask someone about suicide directly, then they will start thinking about it more.

"People who do it, think about it for a long time. And, if you ask them about it, they may consider that you will provide [them] help," Toske said.

Other misperceptions include that suicidal people do not warn others and suicidal people are committed to taking their lives and cannot be stopped.

"Too many departments give up on an officer. You'll save the department money by getting the officer help. Don't give up on an officer because they have problems," Toske said.

One way to help dispel these myths, Toske suggested, is to provide training for those working in the jail.

Officers at the Olathe Adult Detention Center have received training on suicide prevention as part of their training for the past two years.

As part of that training, officers learn what may help prevent suicide - such as having support programs in place, proper diet and good communication - as well as how to recognize those who are under stress - including those who have recently been or are in the process of divorce or other relationship problems, have financial problems or abuse substances.

Toske also recommended open communication and putting personal feelings aside to assist other officers who may need to talk.

"If you can, offer hope, give help and remind them of areas of life that they are good at. You may delay [suicide]," he said.

Responding to Suicide and the Aftermath

Administrators at the Olathe Adult Detention Center learned other lessons from the experience about how to handle officer suicide when it hits.

According to Cortright, who was commander of the two correctional facilities in Olathe at the time, communication with all employees is important.

After the suicide, staff at the second facility were not notified directly but the rumor mill started anyway.
"At the time I wish I had communicated with the other jail before we did because, in the absence of truth, people make stuff up. Some of the rumors were he was in full uniform [when he died,] which was not true," said Cortright.

Because the local news media was right on top of the incident, some staff from the second facility found out through television newscasts. Others heard through the grapevine.

Besides raising awareness about the importance of communicating during a crisis, the suicide has helped foster improved communication and understanding among and between staff and administrators.

The agency has been able to remove some of the stigma typically attached to Employee Assistance Programs and as a result, officers are now more willing to participate and supervisors are more likely to refer them.

"Our supervisors are pretty good when one of our staff comes in. I think we're more observant. We've been bitten by reality. I think we keep our eyes open more now. We're willing to say, 'Hey are you ok?' It's no longer a dirty word," said Cortright.

Through the increased training made available to staff, officers feel like they can ask for help. And, because Toske helped create the new training for officers, those who need help have begun to approach him.

"It has opened it up to being able to talk. We're not ashamed of EAP. We've tried to remove the stigma. If you see a counselor, it's not a bad thing. It's not the end of your career and it's 100 percent confidential," Cortright said.

Martin said that administrators and staff have also learned that there are opposing views about suicide in particular and that those with certain views may react differently to decisions made after the fact.

One decision that still resonates within the department was the sheriff's order to officers who attended their colleague's funeral not to wear uniforms, she said.

According to Cortright, the sheriff of the department at the time took the position that the suicide was shameful to the department. "That maybe was not the right approach," Cortright said.

While the suicide of one of their own has caused much heartache for the agency, it has also opened the eyes of staff and officials there to the indications of stress and signs of suicide. That knowledge may go a long way toward preventing a similar incident in the future.

"We did have one officer who came forward [recently] and said they were worried about another, so we stepped in and the other officer was correct. The counseling began and the report came back that he had some issues to work through. The person has since resigned of his own volition. If we have saved one as a result of this, we've been successful," said Cortright.

Resources:

To reach the Olathe Adult Detention Center, call 913-791-1100

To reach Toske, email christophjer.toske@iocogov.org

To reach Cortright, email bret.cortright@iocogov.org

To reach martin, email kimberly.martin@iocogov.org