FARMINGTON — Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ryan Close received praise this week for his recent presentation on law enforcement suicides at the National Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. commended Close at Tuesday’s meeting of county commissioners, as well as Dr. Jamie Wren of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine in Orono, for their June 23 presentation in Florida. Nichols described it as a “compelling and deeply sobering case study” of law enforcement suicide in Maine, drawing from extensive data provided by the Maine Violent Death Reporting System and the National Violent Death Reporting system.

“The findings revealed a troubling upward trend in suicide rates among Maine law enforcement officers, reflecting profound mental health challenges that demand immediate attention,” Nichols said.

Close and Wren emphasized the necessity of early intervention, enhanced mental health support, and the development of national best practices to help prevent officer suicides.

“They urged sheriffs and law enforcement leaders from across the country to examine the data in their own jurisdictions, recognizing that the issues faced in Maine may be echoed nationwide,” Nichols said.

This work is a powerful step forward in breaking the silence around law enforcement mental health and suicide, according to Nichols.

He thanked Close and Wren for their leadership, their courage in addressing this difficult topic and their dedication to the well-being of those who served and protect local communities.

Nichols said he lost a friend who died by suicide after retiring from law enforcement.

Close, a 17-year law enforcement officer, is the lead of the critical incident stress management team. He and several other law enforcement officers, corrections officers, firefighters, dispatchers and emergency medical responders have been working together for more than a year to help those involved in critical incidents to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.

A critical incident is any situation faced by individuals that causes them to experience unusually strong emotional reactions, which have the potential to interfere with their ability to cope with the incident either at the scene or later, according to the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation information sheet.

The team’s primary mission is to provide peer support, Close said in 2024.

“It’s not just the trauma from the carnage but the vicarious trauma of dealing with the aftermath,” he said at the time. “The loved ones left behind, not always having all the answers. Often times, when people call for help from the police, we can only help so much. Even a death notification could be traumatic depending on the circumstances.

“Current statistics show that on average, a (law enforcement officer) will respond to over 180 critical incidents during their career. Sometimes it can be one horrible incident, but more often we are finding it is simply the accumulation of such incidents that wear over time,” he said.

IF YOU NEED HELP 

IF YOU or someone you know is in immediate danger, dial 911.

FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

FOR MORE SUPPORT, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email [email protected].

OTHER Maine resources for mental health, substance use disorder and other issues can be found by calling 211.