Nearly three years after the Capitol attack, urgent mental health needs of first responders have yet to be fully addressed, leaving many to continue their suffering in silence.
Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Serena Liebengood, the widow of Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood, urged renewed attention to officer wellness as the public spotlight has turned to the upcoming criminal trials of Donald Trump and the former president’s allies who supported the rioters in their violent clashes with police guarding the Capitol.
“I thought that my situation was unique, but over the past couple of years, I realized that, unfortunately, it wasn’t,” said Liebengood, whose husband took his own life days after the insurrection. “Police officers are 54% more likely than American workers in general to die by suicide. They are at increased risk of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, anxiety-related disorders, and recognition of the psychological toll within policing has increased over the past few years.”
While wellness-related funding has increased in recent years, Liebengood said a “discrepancy still exists.”
“It’s estimated that approximately 62% of police agencies have wellness programs and less than 5% of police agencies have suicide prevention programs. To me, that’s unacceptable,” she said.
Dunn, who authored a book about his experience on the front lines of the assault titled, “Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer’s Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble after January 6th,” said his journey to wellness is not over.
The officer said the “stigma” attached to seeking help remains a major obstacle for police.
“The stigma is still there. People suck,” Dunn said. “People are not kind to each other. And I think that’s what it is. I’ve been vocal as hell about my feelings, my emotions, everything, the traumatic effect that I’ve had since January 6. I get called all kinds of names: ‘You’re so soft, you’re the P word, you wouldn’t last a day up on the streets on the NYPD.’ And these are coming from cops. These messages are coming from cops.”
Key quotes:
“We should never forget about this stuff. And a lot of stuff in the media …. We’re so in the moment, what’s happening right now, that next hot story…. We move on without even solving the problem of what happened before. And January 6 is still ongoing. It’s still ongoing.”
–Harry Dunn
“I just want to highlight the importance of having culturally competent healthcare providers. And that’s one thing that we have focused on at [U.S. Capitol Police], making sure that the mental healthcare providers are aware of the unique stressors that law enforcement officers experience… I think it’s very easy to say at times, we don’t know why the officers aren’t using our services. I think that speaks to police culture and… first responder culture in general, that it’s challenging, it’s unique, it’s complex. I think the most effective thing that we can do is figure out what barriers exist and figure out how to bring these services to the officers.”
— Serena Liebengood
“There’re so many officers who don’t talk. Everybody sees me. And I’m not the voice for anybody. I’m just telling my story. I don’t speak for anybody except for myself. And there are so many officers that continue to show up that don’t talk, that suffer in silence. And that’s why every time I’m on the internet, I always do my best to try to acknowledge the men and women. It’s not about me, it’s not. But it’s about everybody who gave so much effort that day.”
–Harry Dunn
“I love therapy. Therapy has been one of my best friends over the past couple of years. I talk about PTSD in terms of the law enforcement officers. Through my experience of losing my husband, I also suffer trauma. And it’s important for me to work through those issues. But also working through this and being able to speak to you all and being able to invest my energy in creating an organization to address these topics that has provided me fulfillment, that is allowing me to move forward, knowing that I can prevent this from happening to someone else.”
–Serena Liebengood
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If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or is in mental distress, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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