The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) is turning its focus to supporting officer mental health amid increasing suicides and the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in law enforcement.
According to a recent story in the Las Vegas Sun, Harry Fagel, a retired police officer with 25 years of service, knows firsthand the importance of addressing officer well-being and mental health. Battling depression and alcohol abuse and struggling to find his identity outside the police force, Fagel experienced nightmares and strained his marriage. After recognizing the severity of his PTSD, he sought more intensive treatment beyond his usual therapy sessions.
Fagel’s story highlights a prevalent issue in law enforcement, where officers often face traumatic events during their careers.
Bill Gibbs, the manager of LVMPD’s Police Employee Assistance Program (PEAP), revealed that the agency has lost 18 officers in the line of duty and 39 officers to suicide since 1983.
“The biggest threat to any police officer is himself or herself over the environment that they are working in,” Gibbs said during a law enforcement panel about PTSD in May.
“What’s the bigger threat?” Gibbs asked. “Not taking care of ourselves.”
The LVMPD established the PEAP to offer crisis intervention and counseling services. Gibbs shared his personal experience of seeking assistance from the program after being involved in an officer-involved shooting in 2011. He was skeptical about it at first.
“I knew about PEAP. That’s for the guys who can’t do this for a living. They are too weak,” Gibbs said of his first thoughts. But when a PEAP representative showed up at the scene of the shooting, “He put his hands on my shoulders and said, ‘Are you all right? Do you need a drink of water? You don’t have to stay here.’”
Eventually, Gibbs came to appreciate the value of the program. Its compassionate approach during the investigation made a lasting impression on him and motivated him to become part of the initiative.
While PEAP connects officers to help, the LVMPD recognized the need for additional strategies. Creating a healthier culture, including prioritizing mental health, is a top priority for Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who established the Wellness Bureau upon assuming office. The bureau aims to research best practices across the country to develop effective strategies for promoting well-being within the law enforcement community.
Overcoming the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment is still a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies. Gibbs and Fagel believe that the historically macho culture in policing has discouraged officers from admitting struggles.
However, the officers also admit that attitudes are beginning to shift. According to Gibbs, no officer has ever being fired for a PTSD diagnosis. Indeed, many officers receive treatment and go on to continue their careers. When officers express suicidal thoughts, they are taken off duty, evaluated and provided treatment before returning to work upon clearance from a clinician.
The department is actively seeking to hire a full-time clinician to work directly with officers. Currently, LVMPD contracts with clinicians but lacks in-house staff. Gibbs noted that the Los Angeles Police Department employs 16 clinicians, which is a model to aspire to.
Trudy Gilbert-Eliot, one of the contracted clinicians working with LVMPD, noted that the younger generation of officers is more open to seeking treatment early in their careers.
Gilbert-Eliot emphasized that daily exposure to trauma contributes to the need for treatment, rather than a specific triggering event. When officers are equipped with coping skills from an early stage, they stand a better chance of maintaining mental well-being throughout their careers.
“They are learning skills early on,” Gilbert-Eliot explained. “If you gain more skills to deal with a very long career of absorbing that trauma, you have a good shot of ending up in a good place at the end of that career.”
Gilbert-Eliot’s therapeutic approach involves encouraging patients to share their stories, listening for signs of guilt, regret or self-judgment. By verbalizing and examining their memories, individuals can identify any distortions and reshape their narratives to focus on strength, resilience and personal growth.
Sergeant Travis Smaka from the Nevada State Police also spoke at the panel event, sharing his personal struggle with guilt and regret following his response to the October 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. Through therapy, Smaka found solace and gradually overcame his guilt, realizing that he had done everything in his power to help. However, the weight of the tragedy remained, particularly in instances where he could not save every victim.
Steven Hough, co-founder and chief operating officer of First H.E.L.P., has been tracking law enforcement suicides since 2019. Hough’s organization aims to address the lack of support for injured officers, combating the stigma surrounding mental health in law enforcement.
“I loved the agency I was working for, but they had no clue how to take care of someone injured on the job,” Hough said in an interview. “Guys like me, we were brought up in the generation of ‘Hey, look, you don’t talk about these things. You don’t talk about your feelings or your emotional health.’”
The organization has reported 36 officer suicides so far this year, compared to 159 in 2022, 143 in 2021 and 146 in 2020 — a constant reminder of the burden of mental health issues on the force. However, Hough said that the numbers are self-reported, and therefore likely underreported due to the stigma surrounding suicide.
Hough also explained how officers gradually develop PTSD on the job.
“A lot of us come into this profession thinking we can make a change and do some good,” Hough said. “We realize the best we can do is hold it down day to day. We see the same guy arrested three times for domestic violence or drugs and see the court system not doing their job. It leaves us believing that there is no hope.”
Although large departments like the LVMPD may have the resources to fund support programs, Hough said they are lacking at rural departments.
Through a corporate sponsorship, Hough’s organization plans to visit smaller departments and provide training to first responders, command staff and families on recognition and treatment strategies for PTSD.
“There are a number of things going on to combat those issues, but it is still a long-term fight,” Hough said.
