Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf says two bills into law, making changes to certain aspects of law enforcement, on July 14, 2020.
Ed Mahon / PA Post
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf says two bills into law, making changes to certain aspects of law enforcement, on July 14, 2020.
Ed Mahon / PA Post
Gov. Tom Wolf signed two police reform bills Tuesday that require agencies to change how they handle problem cops, including conducting proper background checks of all new hires and creating a database to archive disciplinary rulings of individual officers.
And though the new laws are touted as a benefit for public health, one of the bills Wolf signed addresses a little talked about issue within police forces: mental health.
Any officer involved in a use-of-force incident will be required to undergo counseling (at no cost to the officer). Officers can also request the counseling, or it can be requested by one of the officer’s supervisors.
Though the bill only addresses police departments, it’s a step in the right direction for some criminal justice reform advocates who have been saying for years that frontline safety workers (firefighters, paramedics and police) are at risk of post-traumatic stress syndrome and other stress-related conditions because of what they see and experience on the job.
“There is a code of secrecy around mental illness in police agencies across the nation, a code that is difficult to break through,” wrote Andy O’Hara, founder of Badge of Life, which tracks suicides among police officers.
He wrote: “More officers die of suicide than die of shootings and traffic accidents combined. It’s a problem that cries out for answers and remedies, but too many departments are reluctant to admit it exists, much less implement programs to address it.”
PTSD and depression are two common traits that come with the job of policing, both for beat cops and officers who work in correctional institutions. But there is very little data on how many officers experience mental health problems. There is currently no federal database that tracks police suicides, and there is no governing body locally that pushes police departments to keep a record.
It was a point in a larger conversation after reports that 10 NYPD officers had committed suicide in 2019 – the highest number the force had seen in recent years. A study published by a researcher at UC Berkeley in 2017 found that California corrections officers were more likely to experience depression, PTSD and suicide.
And though there have been efforts in the past to get the FBI to collect that data, President Trump only recently signed a law that would direct the bureau to collect police and correctional officers’ suicide rates.
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), who introduced the federal bill in the Senate, said: “Law enforcement officers are at a high risk for mental health challenges and death by suicide, and improving mental health for law enforcement officers is a necessary part of improving policing outcomes. Through this legislation, Congress can better understand the resources needed to support police officers and ensure that those policing our communities are mentally and physically equipped to best serve the public.”
The new Pennsylvania law could be a step in the right direction of eliminating the stigma around mental health in law enforcement and corrections.
If you are someone who has experienced trauma while also on the front lines of public safety work, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us through our Listening Post.
And if you or a loved one is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255.
Related reads:
Politifact: No, police officer is not the job with highest rate of suicide
ABC: Correctional officer suicides in 2019 tied for most in single year: Union president
The Morning Call: Did Allentown police do anything wrong in video that sparked protests? One expert says no
Lehigh Valley Live: In wake of video, Allentown city council members raising ‘systemic reforms’ for police department
WLVR: Protests block traffic and light up downtown Allentown with calls to “defund the police”
WITF: Voices of the movement: Meet the women who organized the anti-racist protest in a divided Lebanon
The Morning Call: Bethlehem police release report on officers’ use of force
International students: Faced with lawsuits from colleges and universities across the country, the Trump administration on Tuesday backed off from its plan to require students from other countries to return home if their campus was closed to in-person classes this fall. The news was a huge relief to many students, The Philadelphia Inquirer notes in its story. It’s a big deal for schools in Pittsburgh, where Carnegie Mellon and Pitt host 13,000 international students between their two campuses, the Post-Gazette reports.
It’s about choice: It’s kinda the best argument in the ongoing debate over people refusing to wear masks in public. It’s your choice to not wear a mask, but it’s also everyone else’s choice not to be around you or to patronize businesses that don’t enforce mask wearing. Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine took it to a different level, by putting the onus on people who are abiding by the order, saying: “If you feel uncomfortable with how close people are at, for instance, a restaurant where you might be dining, then make the choice to leave. If you are in a store where people are not following the mandatory mask order, make the choice to leave. And if you are getting together with people who might be talking that they are not changing their lifestyle or not wearing masks, then make a choice not to go to be with those people.” Related from WPSU: With Concerns About Fall Return Of Penn State Students, State College To Look At Masking Rules.
No jury trials, now what? Jury trials in Philadelphia and a handful of other counties remain suspended due to the coronavirus epidemic. The fear, of course, is around being able to contain the virus within the confines of a courtroom. But delaying these trials has a domino effect on people caught up in the criminal justice system. For one, people who have never been convicted but are held in jail without bail are being forced into facilities that have now been the national hotspots for COVID-19. WHYY has the story. Meanwhile, out in Pittsburgh: Lawyers union says Allegheny County Courthouse should be closed amid COVID-19 infections.
Scientific doubt: Re-upping this story from Tuesday: Last week, UPMC doctors said a new strain of the virus behind a big uptick in infections in Allegheny County was less likely to send people to the hospital for critical care. The claim took off, in part because it was mentioned at a press conference and picked up by larger news outlets (including our own newsletter). Spotlight PA reports that the claim is unfounded, and spoke with medical researchers and public health experts who doubted the assertion from its inception.
Upon reconsideration: Kennywood, the amusement park near Pittsburgh, decided to move away from “mask-free zones” where people could temporarily take their masks off. The backtrack came after public scrutiny of the park’s decision came alongside news that coronavirus cases in Allegheny County set a record yesterday with over 300 new cases in a single day, the highest since the first reported case in mid-March.
More coronavirus coverage:
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly cancels all large events through February, including Mummers and Thanksgiving parades
PennLive: Pa. House passes bill that lays out a plan for counties to move out of green phase of reopening
WHYY: The work-from-home economy is the next threat Philadelphia faces
Associated Press: Reporting Delay Drives Surge In Pennsylvania Virus Cases
Reading Eagle: Ripple effects of coronavirus shutdown causing delays in car purchases
New York Times: You’d Rather Get a Coronavirus Vaccine Through Your Nose
The Atlantic: Facebook’s Pandemic Feuds Are Getting Ugly
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