Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler, Chairwoman Bass, and my colleague and friend from Pennsylvania for their efforts in moving this important legislation forward.

Every day our law enforcement professionals don their uniforms, show up for work, and take on the extraordinary responsibility of keeping us safe. It is work that, too often, goes unnoticed or underappreciated, a kind of quiet heroism. But that work can also exact a very heavy toll.

The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis, STOIC, Act responds to the growing emergency in the law enforcement community. Studies show that law enforcement officers face a wide range of stressors, including responding to violent crime, managing crisis situations, and, as 77 percent of officers report, dealing with insufficient departmental support for their mission.

This stress has serious consequences. Studies indicate that 1 in 4 officers report stress-based physical health problems, and 1 in 14 meet the criteria for PTSD. Think of that: just showing up for this important work places our law enforcement professionals at increased risk for a wide range of health problems.

Suicide among our law enforcement community is rising at a troubling rate, as well. The CDC reported in 2016 that the suicide rate in this community is 50 percent higher than the national average. In recent years, the number of law enforcement who have died by suicide has even surpassed the number of officers killed in the line of duty.

According to Blue H.E.L.P., we lost 142 officers to suicide in 2016. Last year, that number jumped to 167 compared to 144 who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.

Officers in crisis need our support. The STOIC Act, both the Senate and the House version, will reform and expand existing grant programs to better address mental health, establish suicide prevention programs, and offer aid to officers' families.

Our law enforcement officers are true public servants, and honoring their service means providing them with the support they deserve.

I thank my colleague, fellow Pennsylvanian, Congressman Reschenthaler, for speaking in one voice across the aisle and across chambers. I thank him for his passion and his leadership on this bipartisan bill. It has been a pleasure to work with him and his team on an issue we both care deeply about. I look forward to our continued efforts, and I urge all Members to support the STOIC Act.

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