Howell Police Focus On Officers' Mental Health

HOWELL, NJ — It's a troubling statistic: In 2018, more police officers died by suicide than died in the line of duty.

The rise in the number of police officers taking their lives has gotten the attention of many police departments and has prompted law enforcement agencies to take action, including the Howell Township Police Department.

Howell Township Police Chief Andrew J. Kudrick Jr. addressed the issue of mental health at the recent annual meeting of his department.

"The number of police officers who take their own lives each year is very concerning. It outnumbers those who are killed in the line of duty each year. Officers face stressors on this job that can have detrimental effects during and after their careers," a post on the police department's Facebook page said.

Kudrick brought in Dr. Lewis Schlosser and his staff from the Institute for Forensic Psychology to offer information to Howell officers on the issues. Kudrick and Schlosser recently collaborated on an article for a law enforcement magazine on encouraging officers to take advantage of the department's mental health professionals to deal with the stresses they face.

"The goal of Chief Kudrick is to avoid the stigma associated with officers asking for help and be proactive in providing assistance," the department said. "Usually officers are the ones who provide the help. It’s very tough when it’s the other way around."

The officers also provided data via a survey to Professor Douglas Collier from Monmouth University who has spearheaded a research study into the cause of the high number of officer suicides.

Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Howell Patch on Facebook.