Ending the stigma for police seeking help for trauma is the place to start

April 11, 2025 - The Boston Globe

In 2020 the Boston Police Foundation unveiled a special memorial wall at police headquarters with 13 plaques representing officers who had died by suicide in the 25 years before that. And in the next spot a poignant message: “May there never be another.”

It was the first memorial of its kind in the nation “recognizing, remembering, and honoring police officers who have died by suicide.” And sadly there was another star added last year for Andrew O’Connor, 42, who had joined the force in 2021, serving most of that time in East Boston.

If there’s anything that police unions and public officials ought to be able to agree on, it’s that officers who need help should have ready access to confidential counseling and services without fear of adverse impact on their careers. Study after study has shown that the stresses on first responders generally, but police in particular, continue to take their toll on lives — on careers, on marriages — with no end in sight.