Breaking News: Security Officer Suicides-A Real Concern privateofficer.org - News Paper

Charlotte NC February 19 2019

The topic of military and first responder suicides has finally gotten some traction and attention by media, politicians and employers, and that’s something that hopefully will save lives.

Any military veteran can tell you about the problems that they face while on active duty and long after returning to civilian life.

For some, it’s the new routine of daily life that’s not been easy, while others suffer from PTSD, substance abuse and a lack of proper medical care and mental health assistance.

For those working in law enforcement or the fire and EMS service, it’s the stress of home life, combined with what they see and have to do on all too frequent basis as part of their jobs that can sometimes come crashing down on our heroes.

Statistics continually show that more military, police and firefighters die each year from suicide than from actual job-related deaths.

In 2018, that combined number was estimated to be almost 400.

Lives of people who had given everything that they had to protect others, putting their lives on the line daily, so that we could live free and be protected and rescued in our time of need.

While most people don’t think of security officer’s as first responders or heroes, they actually are indeed just that.

Many private security officers assigned to residential complexes, shopping malls, schools and hospitals just to name a few, respond to calls of trouble, shootings and crime in progress and they never know what they’ll face.

We know that violence against anyone in a uniform continues to rise dramatically, and that includes the uniform of a private protector.

Each year, more than one hundred security officers die on duty, and the majority are victims of gunshots, stabbings and violent traumatic injuries.

Tens of thousands more are assaulted, beaten, shot, stabbed, hit by vehicles and left for dead. While it seldom makes the headlines, it’s a true and accurate fact.

Sadly, as the security industry continues to evolve into a more proactive, enforcement style model, its employees will suffer, more injuries and death and they too will be sandwiched in between the stresses of life and the duties that they perform. The things that they see and do on a regular basis can haunt a person for days, months and sometimes forever.

A Baltimore security officer recently saw a man engulfed in flames who quickly died in front of him.
In 2018, 36 security officers found the remains of murdered and suicide victims and the lifeless bodies of three children.
Many security officers are first on scene of bloodshed, serious medical emergencies and violence.

Combine that with the lack of resources, proper livable wages, medical benefits or any sign of appreciation or gratitude from their employer, and it can push a person to the edge, the brink of frequent thoughts of harming themselves and ending the pain.

Anyone who works in a job where people look to them for protection, help or to save the day can quickly be consumed with grief and ill directed thoughts.
They can store up that pain, those awful images of hurt and death, feelings of doubt and questions of had they done their best in situations where a person dies despite their best efforts.

Security today are expected to be the first line of defense against terrorists, active shooters, violent criminals and to be Johnny on the spot when someone is having a heart attack or when shots are fired at a mall or when any crises breaks out on the property where they are assigned to protect others.

In 2017, 41 known security officers committed suicide, both on and off the job.
That number dropped slightly in 2018 but now again, in 2019, those numbers have begun to climb, with 9 known suicides in the past six weeks including a TSA agent who jumped to his death at the Orlando International Airport.

Suicides of active or former military are tracked by several private organizations and government agencies.

Similarly, both private and public agencies track the suicides of law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics.

But no entity that we are familiar with, other than Private Officer International, track the suicides of private security personnel and that’s mainly because they are employees of private businesses and not government employees.

A Mental Health crises is not something to take lightly especially as these issues continue to grow across all social, economic and cultural areas of our country.

Suicide prevention and mental healthcare is available nationwide to everyone and we need to bring those services to our employees.

Private security, both those who work for contracted agencies and proprietary employers seldom have access to Employee Assistance Programs or Healthcare Insurance but we need to find a way to make those services available and to ensure that we recognize the indicators of stress, suicidal thoughts or ideologies or personal crises.
And we can do that by knowing our employees, communicating with them and caring about them.

NOTE: Private Officer International currently offers a number of resources to its members including counselors, chaplains and crises prevention resources.

Rick McCann

Founder-CEO

Active Law Enforcement/FF/EMTP

Certified Crises Intervention and Mental First Aid

from Private Officer Breaking News http://bit.ly/2SbxzhR
Breaking News: Security Officer Suicides-A Real Concern privateofficer.org - News Paper