Law enforcement officers encounter daily challenges in the field that take a significant toll on their mental health, resulting in extreme personal and professional crises that can escalate to suicide. However, deaths by suicide are preventable.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Suicide Awareness for Law Enforcement Officers (SAFLEO) Program provides law enforcement agencies with practical training, technical assistance, and resources to promote officer mental health and well-being and prevent suicide.
The program helps leadership and line officers learn to identify warning signs of suicide and intervene with colleagues in crisis. SAFLEO also assists agencies in building a culture of officer wellness that supports retention by helping officers have healthy, satisfying careers.
SAFLEO is funded through BJA’s Officer Robert Wilson III Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement Officers and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability (VALOR) Initiative. All the training, technical assistance, and resources are provided by the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, BJA’s grantee for the SAFLEO Program.