Not Looking For Work

Let me begin this blog by stating very clearly that I am not looking for work. In my LinkedIn profile, you will soon notice a few new positions I have taken on but that is not what I am referring to. 

Within the policing community, suicides have become far too common. The general public usually don't hear about them other than the fact a police officer has died. A couple of weeks ago I read the story of a female officer who took her own life in Texas. A photo was posted of her and it told us that she had been a pilot for the US Air Force before becoming a cop many years later. I should also mention that she looked beautiful. 

The weird thing about suicide is that we often don't know why the person decided to end their life. To look at this cop, you would think she had everything going for her. When you serve your country and community your whole life, you would think those around you would respect and even honour you. Yet there was something or things, that caused her to take the extreme step of suicide.

As a Chaplain within the policing community in Canada I have training through an organization called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). In others words, Suicide First Aid. It helps us to identify individuals like this officer and how to help them at a dark moment in their lives. The sad thing is that despite this training, cops and others who have Suicidal Ideation (thoughts of suicide) often fall between the cracks because they feel nobody can help them.

I mentioned that I wasn't looking for work but I have to make myself available for those who are at the "end of their rope". The system is broken for 1st Responders in this area of mental health despite what law enforcement tells their members on an ongoing basis. As an example of this, someone like me is almost always overlooked as a resource for those with Suicidal Ideation because we are seen as a "spiritual" resource. If you are a practicing Christian you will probably recognize that we should perhaps be one of the first resources made a available. That is seldom the case and it is due to management that has no understanding of how to utilize Police Chaplains.

The term, "all hands on deck" is how I would frame this. Rather than making departmental mental health workers the "go to people", why not make the difficult decision to seek out help easier? Why not use ALL the resources that are available to the person who is often afraid to go for help. Here is what I am thinking and which I  recently submitted as a paper to our Canadian Police Chaplain Association for distribution.

My thoughts centre around this one fact: "It is not about us but rather about the person who needs help"

Mental Health professionals and Chaplains are sometimes at odds with one another because quite frankly, there is a misunderstanding by both groups. As Chaplains we sometimes believe that only God can heal individuals who are suicidal. And as a Christian, I fully believe that God can do that, however...

I also believe God gave us Mental Health professionals who are equipped to help those who think they have no hope. The challenge (in my eyes at least) is how these two roles can better serve those we are all trying to assist? Eduction is the first step and it takes on two very distinct goals. First, Chaplains need to get training (if they don't already have it) on mental health. That is available through many resources so there is never an excuse not to receive the training. Also, it means Chaplains must spend time with the rank and file and not just make occasional appearances at ceremonial functions. Ride alongs if available are crucial in gaining credibility because a cruiser can quickly become your office during a 4 to 8 hour shift. 

The other thing, is the Wellness Units of police services must make Chaplains an equal partner in presenting us as resources and not an afterthought. Herein lies the crux of what I am suggesting. As a Chaplain we have a much better opportunity to build relationships and trust with officers and staff. That is because we are present whereas departmental mental health resources are sitting in their offices and often seen as an open door to career derailment. I have sat in enough cruisers during ride alongs to confirm this.

How do we get those with suicidal ideation to a place where they can get the help they need? It won't happen if management keeps insisting that going to the departmental "shrink" is safe and not "career suicide". I present to you, the Chaplain. If and only if, the Chaplain within a division has made the effort to build trust, he or she becomes the "safe" landing spot for those who are desperately looking for help. Of course it will never be a guarantee but the option must be there instead of hidden in some unrecognizable spiritual maze that an officer would never go to.

Police services in this country have the right intentions but whether it is ignorance of Chaplaincy or bad experiences with clergy, it is a resource that is under-utilized and even ignored in times of greatest need. A good example of this is in a large Canadian city where Chaplains have been forbidden to do ride alongs. The very thing that would allow Chaplains to be seen as a safe place has been ripped away due to someone in management that probably has their own prejudices when it comes to matters of faith.

As long as we make it about "us" rather than "them", individuals will be left isolated and the feeling of hopelessness will continue. We all need to do our part for the sake of those who may only have a few days or months before they take matters into their own hands. Let's make this work!