Sen. Shaheen, Chief Carignan to raise awareness about law enforcement suicides

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nashua (NH) Police Chief Michael Carignan will join U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Justice, during the President’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Feb. 4, to raise awareness about the mental health challenges that many in law enforcement and other first responders face as a result of the stress and trauma they experience on the job.

Following the suicide of Nashua Police Captain Jon Lehto last September, Chief Carignan and Captain Lehto’s family chose to shine a spotlight on the statistics of suicide among law enforcement and first responders. A record number of U.S. law enforcement officers died by suicide last year, according to Blue HELP, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that works to reduce mental health stigmas for police.

“Captain Lehto’s family and the Nashua Police Department, led by Chief Carignan, have been courageously raising awareness of the needs of officers who are struggling with mental health,” said Shaheen on Tuesday. “Law enforcement officers are exposed to tremendous stress and trauma while protecting our communities, which has only been compounded by the substance use epidemic.

“I’m grateful that Chief Carignan will join me for the State of the Union address to help bring attention to this crisis facing police and first responders in New Hampshire and across the country. We need to do all we can to raise awareness of this issue, eliminate the stigma about discussing mental health, and make sure first responders have support and services.

“Congress and the Trump administration need to devote greater attention to this crisis and I intend to do all I can to get officers, police departments and all first responders the help they need,” she said.

Shaheen included language in the government funding bill that became law in December that requires the Department of Justice to collect national data on law enforcement suicides to help the law enforcement community, policymakers, and the public better understand the scope of the issue and trends surrounding the tragic deaths.

Shaheen also secured funds to improve mental health services for state and local law enforcement agencies, including resources to reduce the stigma around officers seeking mental health treatment and programs to assist officers in handling repeated exposure to stress and trauma while on the job.