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Atlanta Police's suicide prevention push
Suicide prevention took center stage in downtown Atlanta this week as police officers brought their message from inside the department out to the streets.
ATLANTA - Suicide prevention took center stage in downtown Atlanta this week as police officers brought their message from inside the department out to the streets.
What they're saying:
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department is expanding its wellness and awareness initiatives after recently losing two officers, Lt. Anthony Colton and Officer Lucas Sizemore, to suicide.
Lt. Anthony Colton and Officer Lucas Sizemore (Atlanta Police Department)
"This is the Atlanta Police Department taking its Suicide Prevention initiative to the street," Schierbaum said.
On Wednesday, officers gathered at the corner of Peachtree Street and Andrew Young International Boulevard holding signs that read "I can pray with you" and "Be gentle with yourself today."
"All throughout the first part of September, we’ve been promoting Suicide awareness initiative inside the department, expansion of our wellness initiatives, promoting awareness prevention, but we wanted to take our message out to Atlanta," Schierbaum said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 50,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2023, equal to one death every 11 minutes. Schierbaum said those numbers underscore the need for awareness both in law enforcement and in the community.
The Atlanta Police Department is taking to the streets to try to help prevent suicides in the wake of two tragedies that rocked the department recently. (FOX 5)
"Suicide unfortunately is a challenge within law enforcement. It hit very close to home for this agency. In a very short period of time, we lost two of our own to suicide. A senior, a commander of the department and a very young officer," Schierbaum said.
He added that officers face unique challenges. "Life has joys and life has stresses. Our police officers see a lot of stress in their day to day. So knowing how it impacts you, knowing how it presents itself and there are ways to combat it, to manage it, to mitigate it is key," Schierbaum said.
What's next:
A department spokesperson said the suicide prevention events will continue across the city, with another planned for Thursday.
The Atlanta Police Department is taking to the streets to try to help prevent suicides in the wake of two tragedies that rocked the department recently. (FOX 5)
What you can do:
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
The Source: FOX 5's Larry Spruill spoke with Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum for this article. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided additional details.