Texas police department left shocked after four deputies die by taking their own lives in six weeks
Topics: Mental Health, Police, Texas, US News, Houston
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Harris County Sheriff's Office
Topics: Mental Health, Police, Texas, US News, Houston
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Tragedy has befallen the policing community in Texas, as a fourth cop has been found dead in less than two months.
Houston-based serving Harris County deputy Christina Kohler was tragically found dead last Thursday (March 13) at the age of 37, just a day after she was reported missing, with a medical examiner ruling her death as a suicide last week.
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Just three days after her death, former Harris County officer Maria Vasquez also took her own life, having only retired from the department in December.
The most recent of the spate of suicides was that of former deputy William Bozeman, who was found dead at the beginning of last week.
On February 6, another ex-sheriff deputy Long Nguyen died in a similar manner at the age of 58.
Reacting to the tragic news, president of the Harris County Deputies' Organization FOP #39, Jose Lopez told KTRK-TV: "It caught a lot of us by surprise.
"One is too many. Two? Three? Yes, it's definitely devastating."
The veteran officer had been assisting his Texan colleagues in processing the grief of the deputies - with him personally knowing two of them for more than two decades.
"It hits very close to home and it's a reminder to us how fragile life is and it's also a reminder we do need to look out for each other. We do need to take care of each other," Lopez said.
According to the president of Houston Police Officers' Union, Douglas Griffiths, those working in law enforcement are 54 percent more likely to die by way of suicide.
The director of the Harris County Sheriff's Office Behavioral Health Division, Dr Thomas McNeese, went further into the tragic statistics during a talk with KHOU 11.
"[This] profession, unfortunately, takes a toll on people. And, over time, the longer you're in it, the more of a toll it takes, and it changes people,” he explained.
"The average citizen I think in a lifetime may be exposed to two — I think is the statistic — critical incidents, whereas one of our officers might be exposed to that on a shift."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.