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forcement suicides in New Jersey in 2017 were victims of the cycle or on the bucket list is not reconcilable at this point. But NJ State PBA Director of Clinical Services Dr. Gene Stefanelli believes that more than 50 percent of officers have the cumulative stress disorder that, if not treated, can keep filling the glass and cause it to spill over. Not that this is the most applicable measurement, either, but a Google search of“ police suicide” comes back with nearly 98 million hits.
“ It seems as though officers have found themselves with no foundation to stand on with their job, their families or their lives,” explains Cherie Castellano, a Certified Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress and Program Director for Cop2Cop.“ And it’ s that shame that seems to make them feel like they can’ t get help. So they won’ t get treatment. And they end up in that dark place.”
Whether it’ s due to December’ s tragedies or the accumulating stress, there is no time like the present to shed some light on the means and ways – and needs – for PBA members to address their mental pain. Help is indeed there for you, and that only begins with the thousands of brothers’ and sisters’ keepers the PBA’ s Peer Assistance Response team has trained the past 10 years.
From a friendly ear offered by somebody who has felt the pain – and the shame – more than 50 percent of members might be fighting to finding a doctor to talk to about more serious issues that lead down the road of addiction, PBA Peer Assistance has been developed to provide an immediate and confidential helping hand. In Dr. Stef and his back-up, Dr. Michael Bizzarro, who is also the director of First Responder Services for the Princeton House, therapists are on call even for a one-time assessment of just how full the bucket is.
Cop2Cop offers a 24-7 helpline, not just for officers who might be mired in the darkness and the pain, but to talk to somebody who can intervene while there is still a glimmer of faith. And if the bucket tips, there is no shame in following the many members who have checked into Florida House, a treatment facility in Deerfield Beach, Florida that features a first responders-only manse and the latest innovations to help them get back on the healthy road.
It’ s all confidential. There’ s no worry about word leaking to supervisors that could end up in fit-for-duty evaluations or on the rubber-gun squad. It’ s covered by health insurance. And it works.
“ No question, lights are going on all over the place,” Dr. Stef advises.“ The bottom line is this: If you have a toothache, you see a dentist. If you have an emotional issue, you go see that doctor as well. This is how we take care of ourselves psychologically. You admit you have to talk to somebody about your problems.”
From the way his phone rings – and Dr. B’ s – Stefanelli confirms more and more members are making the call. But he contends that the best-case scenario would be a more comprehensive approach that allows every officer to be trained to provide peer assistance.
There is data to support the benefit an all-in effort would have on spreading suicide awareness and the acceptance of helping hands. In 2017, Cop2Cop conducted more than 100 debriefings with departments across New Jersey following critical incidents – everything from shootings to suicides. Those have discovered a substantive, all-inclusive way to help.
“ They seem to understand that when officers are exposed to something together that it actually forms what we refer to psychologically as a trauma bond, which allows them to connect in a very unusual and profound way,” Castellano describes.“ It fosters the ability for them to help each other because they are the only people who understand what they have been through. For officers who understand implications of PTSD, there’ s this cohesion of getting help that’ s really progress.”
PBA delegates, chiefs and others asking for these debriefings at a record rate indicates a recognition of the stress accumulating from trauma and traumatic exposure. Additionally, Sprich has been at the helm of an initiative within Local 105 to train peer assistance teams at every state corrections facility, and he reports that spreading of the brothers’ keeper model has helped officers who have been through some hellish times, have been to the dark side and have turned themselves around to get back working toward their pensions.
“ With Cop2Cop, our treatment facilities and peer advocacy, we’ re maximizing the brothers’ keeper model, training chiefs, supervisors and wardens, and creating a systematic, functional way of understanding it’ s OK to ask for help,” adds Ken Burkert, the founding chair of the PBA Peer Liaison Committee and Peer Assistance team and retired Union County Corrections Local 199 State Delegate who has become the first responder peer liaison for Princeton House. That’ s the good news. But as Burkert continues,“ I don’ t think it’ s going on as much as we need it to.”
The current state of providing help and asking for help is in progress, according to Burkert. It’ s been more than 10 years since Burkert, Castellano and PBA President Pat Colligan were part of the Governor’ s Task Force on Police Suicide that Governor Corzine convened to communicate a message of suicide prevention. The upshot of that effort included promoting the Question-Persuade-Refer method Cop2Cop teaches to help peers identify sisters and brothers who need help, and to get them that help.
“ We saw the numbers drop,” Castellano reminds. But Corzine lost the election in 2009,“ and the whole movement sort of drifted,” she continues.“ We haven’ t been adhering to the plan as rigidly as we should.”
Getting back to the plan would be good news. Establishing a better structure to ensure continued progress would be better news. Castellano urges more state funding; Cop2Cop, for exam-
32 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JANUARY 2018