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Trenton,
NJ – Attorney General Anne Milgram will
speak Monday at the first scheduled training
session for law enforcement officers on suicide
awareness and prevention.
The training was one of several key recommendations
made earlier this year by Governor Jon S.
Corzine’s Police Suicide Task Force,
which was formed to identify strategies to
address the issue of suicides among police
and corrections officers.
"Police
officer suicide is a tragic problem that impacts
officers’ families, the law enforcement
community, and all of us, Milgram said. “Law
enforcement officers serve with courage and
dedication, and we owe them no less than to
do all we can to ensure that those officers
in need have access to appropriate resources
and assistance.”
Milgram
and Human Services Commissioner Jen Velez
were co-chairs of the Police Suicide Task
Force. On Sunday, Velez launched a poster
campaign to help police officers fight a stigma
that may keep them from seeking help: “Tough
Cops Ask for Help – Don’t Remain
Silent.”
In
addition to developing a curriculum for a
suicide awareness and prevention training
course, the Police Suicide Task Force recommended
improving the effectiveness of counseling
resources, implementing the anti-stigma campaign,
and implementing policies that mandate counseling
after traumatic events and address officers’
reluctance to seek assistance for fear of
disciplinary consequences or loss of their
weapon.
The
training session Monday will be at the State
Police New Jersey Forensic Science Technology
Center at 1200 Negron Drive in Hamilton. The
Attorney General is due to speak at the beginning
of the session at 9 a.m.
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