In early September, Nashua, New Hampshire Police Chief Michael Carignan learned that one of his top command administrators had taken his own life. Carignan was stunned. He said Police Captain Jonathan Lehto had a stellar career. There were no outward signs of depression.
But Carignan found himself under pressure to keep Lehto’s suicide out of the media.
Carignan reached out to Lehto's wife and parents about going public with his suicide, “and there was some initial reluctance," he said. "They didn't want his reputation to be tarnished.”
Suicide among first responders is more common than one might think. Last year, the Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation released a report that found first responders are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. There have been 25 police suicides in Massachusetts since January 2016, putting it in the top 10 states nationwide for officer suicides, according to BlueHelp , a nonprofit that tracks law enforcement suicide data. When an officer takes his or her own life, some departments choose to keep it quiet. But there's debate about whether that makes the issue more difficult to address.
Former Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans called suicide a "dark secret" of the job.
“It's troubling," said Evans, who is now chief of police at Boston College. "I've had a lot of good friends who you never know it’s coming. And all of a sudden you say, 'Why?'"
Boston Police is one of many departments taking on the issue of suicide by providing support and acknowledging the tremendous stress of the job, said Boston Police Sergeant Mark Freire.
Police work can be violent and unpredictable. Officers regularly see terrible things most of us never have to experience. In his own 38-year career, Freire said, he was pushed down a flight of stairs, had a suspect grab his gun, and in 2007, his partner was shot and survived.
That's when he went for help.
Now, Freire works with BPD’s peer support unit as its executive director. The peer support unit started initially in 1977 as an Alcoholics Anonymous program for police officers, but it has since evolved. The unit now provides officers with group and individual counseling by licensed therapists and psychologists and peer counseling from other officers.
Freire said the program does not release to the public how many officers take part in the program to protect participants' privacy.
Counseling and support is confidential, which Evans said is key, because sometimes an officer is in denial about needing services. But he said he and others try to encourage officers to seek help.
“I think it's hard to see the symptoms in this profession,” Evans said. “Everybody tries to put up this shield that they're too tough to let anything bother them. But you've got to look for the subtle indicators.”
Carl Jenkins of the Boston Police Foundation said work is also underway to help officers manage the stress of the job. He said the foundation provides officers with additional resources, including behavioral support, machines that check officers' heart rates and blood pressure and gyms around the city.
Jenkins said he hopes more officers will come forward to seek help in the future. The first step, he added, is acknowledging that police suicide is a real problem and letting officers know help is available.
Back in Nashua, Police Chief Carignan said he explained to Lehto's family that suicide is becoming an epidemic within law enforcement, and among first responders in general. After he explained that going public about Lehto's suicide may help others, his family gave Carignan permission to break the silence.
Carignan said there is a shift underway in law enforcement culture and reiterated what Evans said: "It's no longer, 'You're weak if this job bothers you.' It's, 'We understand why this job bothers you.' Let’s get your head right so you can continue being effective dealing with the public out there.'"
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or use the Crisis Text Line by texting “Home” to 741741. More resources are available at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources .
