HPD boosts suicide awareness

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

In the wake of two recent Honolulu Police Department suicides in as many months, department psychologists and administrators are stepping up efforts to understand signs of depression and educate officers about the importance of early detection and intervention.

	Police suicides
	Nationally:
•	26 to 28 per 100,000 annually, compared with 12 to 15 per 100,000 of the general population, according to the National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation, Pasadena, Md..
	In Hawai'i:
•	Honolulu Police Department: nearly 2,000 officers, 16 suicides since 1968.
•	Big Island Police Department: 309 officers, none in recent years.*
•	Kaua'i Police Department: 132 officers, none in recent years.*
•	Maui Police Department: 400 officers, none in recent years.*
	* Based on recollection of county police chiefs.

Both shot themselves with their service guns.

The deaths also came at a time when Maui police were shaken when a Valley Isle police officer survived what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound Dec. 4.

Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue, who attended both recent HPD funerals, said the suicides have "heightened awareness" among the department's support staff and supervisors to be on the lookout for warning signs.

The deaths also prompted a police psychologist to travel around the department, talking to officers about the problems and stress they may face.

The psychologist also planned to schedule a seminar with a well-known expert on police suicide.

But the unanswered question is whether police officers who are authorized to have firearms and who find themselves under stress will seek help.

Many Honolulu officers say they would ask for assistance from family members first, and only ask the department for help as a last resort, citing embarrassment, pride, privacy and perceived weakness.

"I would go to my friends and family first," said one of officers, Gene Monteilh, 28, who works at the receiving desk. "They know you best."

Robert Douglas, executive director of the National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation in Pasadena, Md., said officers sometimes find that admitting to their problems could cost them their guns and often their careers.

"Officers learn over time that most officers who go out on medical (leave) don't come back," Douglas said. "They never return to duty and eventually they retire."

Nationally, there are 12 to 15 suicides per 100,000 people in the general population, Douglas said. Among police officers, the rate jumps to 26 to 28 per 100,000 officers, placing police suicides as the fourth or fifth highest by occupation.

	Some suicide warning signs:
•	An officer who starts having a high number of off-duty accidents.
•	An increase in citizen complaints about aggressiveness.
•	A change in personality in which a sullen officer suddenly becomes talkative, or an officer who is normally very vocal becomes silent and withdrawn.
•	The law enforcement official starts giving away prized possessions or telling friends they will be missed.
•	The officer suddenly writes a will.
	Source: National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation

"I definitely think we're No. 1 when it comes to suicide," Douglas said.

Kaua'i Police Chief George Freitas said most attempted suicides by officers are usually carried out because officers have access to guns.

"They have weapons and they know how weapons are used," Freitas said. "When you combine weapons with stress or depression, it can create a potentially explosive situation."

Job stress and domestic or personal problems affect officers just like the general public, Freitas said. In addition, some officers face more turmoil by being constantly bombarded by negative images.

"Officers see some horrible scenes," Freitas said. "Agencies are starting to realize the officers need assistance. The officers have just been assaulted mentally by a horrible situation. They need help. In the old days, we were told to deal with it. But the memories stack up.

Maui Police Chief Thomas Phillips said officers routinely see the "worst in people," overwork themselves and sometimes neglect family because of police work. He said officers are constantly required to "be at their best," and some officers have difficulty letting go of their job when they go home.

"That adds up," Phillips said. "Anytime you lose an officer, it's tragic. They're good people. But somewhere, something went wrong. We don't see it. Their closest friends don't see it."

"Being a police officer is actually more than a career, it becomes a way of life or a lifestyle," Big Island Police Chief James Correa said. "There are many stressors involved in the occupation or the lifestyle a police officer must maintain. Being an officer today is a difficult task."

Donohue said he understood the concern officers have about being taken off the job and losing their guns if they admit their problems to a counselor or psychologist.

"It's natural for them to think: 'If I disclose anything to the doctor that the doctor is going to come right back to me and tell me everything.' That's not true. There's very strict rules that we work by," Donohue said. "However, if we feel that this person is a danger to himself or herself, or a danger to another person we will have to remove the officer's weapon for their own well-being and the well-being of others."

A majority of time, he said, the officers get the help they need and then get back on the job.

Donohue said he's trying to build on the department's support services.

"We want to bring more people in the psychological services," he said. "Our peer counseling group is strapped. Our chaplains are out there and very active with our employees. We're doing the best we can, but we would like to see more."

The president of the police union recognizes that officers are reluctant to discuss personal problems.

Tenari Ma'afala, the president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, said pride and embarrassment sometimes prevent officers from seeking help.To prevent further suicides, Ma'afala urged officers to look out for one another, recognize one another's problems and either help one another, or persuade the officer to seek help.

"We all need a shoulder to cry on," Ma'afala said. "I don't think less of a man who reaches out for help."

The department has done the best it can to help officers with problems, he said.

"These guys (who committed suicide) didn't show any signs, otherwise there would have been help," Ma'afala said. "I'm sure if the department knew, a lot more would have been done to avoid the situation."

Honolulu police psychologist Dr. Gloria Neumann said she noticed an increase of police officers voluntarily asking for help. She said there's a heavier workload for nine Honolulu police chaplains who are each putting in a minimum of 20 hours a week. Neumann said she tries to support officers anytime, anywhere, even in brief hallway chats.

"I call it hallway therapy," Neumann said. "I'll ask, 'How are you doing?' 'How is your mom?' 'How are your kids doing?' It's informal, but it shows support."

Police counselor Lt. Frank Fujii, who leads the department's Peer Support Unit, said many troubled officers have been helped by the department's prevention programs, but it's difficult to gauge the success of the programs.

"The real unfortunate thing about prevention programs is that the number of 'saves' don't show up in the statistics," Fujii said. "In talking about suicides, we have no way to gauge how many we have really prevented. In the last three years, we have worked with a host of people who were real close and we saved them."

Advertiser staff writer Dan Nakaso contributed to this report.