Police Chief in Texas Speaks About Mental Health Stigma Following Officer’s Suicide

Police respond to an active shooter incident at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Liesbeth Powers/The Dallas Morning News via AP

A police chief in Texas is urging officers to ask for mental health help and to look out for each other following the suicide of one of his own.

On average, more than 185 police officers died from suicide in the United States between 2017 and 2022, according to data from BlueHelp, an organization that tracks and honors law enforcement officers who die by suicide.

“The leading cause of death of the American police officer is suicide. [The] leading cause of death is by our officers’ own hands,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia in an interview with WFFA-TV. “This is not just a Dallas thing. This is a national thing.”

This year, more than 55 suicides have already been recorded.

What Happened?

Matthew Bacon, an 18-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, took his own life on Aug. 8, one day after his involvement in the deadly shooting of a murder suspect. He was operating as part of the U.S. North Texas Fugitive Task Force at the time of the officer-involved shooting.

On Monday, Bacon and three other officers were serving an arrest warrant to homicide suspect Corey Thomas, 36, at an apartment complex in Dallas when the incident occurred. Mr. Thomas, who was inside a pick-up truck, pointed a gun toward the officers as they attempted to block his escape with their vehicles, authorities said.

In response, the four officers fired at Mr. Thomas, striking him. The suspect was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

None of the officers were injured during the incident.

The next day, Mr. Bacon was found dead from an apparent suicide, the Dallas Police Department confirmed to The Epoch Times.

Addressing Mental Health Issues

The reason behind Bacon’s suicide is still not known, but Mr. Garcia doesn’t want the trend to continue.

He said it is time to remove the stigma attached to mental health issues in law enforcement.

“When I started in 1992, if I saw a traumatic incident and I turned to my partner in ‘92, and I told my partner, ’Hey, that call kind of screwed me up,‘ my partner would have looked at me and said, ’Dude, you got to suck it up. We got 10 more hours.'”

It is important to make sure that does not happen anymore, he added.

“If I would have said those same words to a lieutenant, that lieutenant would have looked at me in 1992 and said to me, ‘Maybe this isn’t the right job for you,’” Mr. Garcia said.

Over a year ago, the Dallas Police Department started a wellness program to help officers manage the trauma they deal with on the job. An alcohol rehabilitation program is also available.

“We have to be more proactive that when they ask for help, we need to ensure that we have all the resources that are available,” the chief said.

Officers need to be able to ask for help without the fear of jeopardizing their careers, Mr. Garcia said.

“The same officer safety that we preach to our officers out in the field with regards to dealing with violent suspects and protecting each other and risking our lives for each other has to mean the same thing when to looking after each other with their mental well-being,” he explained.

“Ultimately, in the end, I just plead with any police officer, if they’re going through trauma, to reach out for help. Help is there. I want our officers well and healthy so they can live long for their families, and that’s the most important thing.”

Mr. Bacon received more than 80 commendations during his career, according to KTVT-TV. He also helped to develop a database to make it easier to identify repeat offenders.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for our DPD family,” the Dallas police chief wrote in a memo to officers,” The Dallas Morning News reported. "As your Chief, I’m asking you to pause for Officer Bacon and his family and also to check in with yourself.

“Never hesitate to reach out. We are in this together,” he said.