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App said to help officers cope with ‘daily trauma’

Nationally, police suicides on the rise

WAILUKU — With the daily trauma police officers face and the rising number of police officer suicides across the nation, the Maui Police Department this week launched a free wellness app for the department that can be downloaded to officers’ smartphones to help them deal with the mental stresses of the job.

“Officers witness trauma on a daily basis, and they are carrying that burden,” said Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu, who has known officers who have committed suicide. “MPD wants to support our officers and families by providing them with the tools to help them cope with the daily challenges.”

The “Cordico Wellness” app helps MPD employees seek help anonymously without the stigma of being labeled “weak” or unable to do their job, Faaumu added.

It offers information on mental health issues and contains contacts for mental health providers, such as psychologists and licensed clinical social workers, as well as contact numbers for police officers and police chaplains who can provide peer support, said Greer Prince, a research analyst in MPD’s quality assurance section, which helped set up the program.

There is also a section called “Get Help Now,” which provides a number for the Hawaii Crisis Line that offers 24-hour aid to anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. The section also provides various contacts, including a 24-hour referral service for help in crisis for public safety officials and their families.

MPD is the first department in the state to launch such a program, said Prince, who presented the program to the Maui Police Commission at its meeting Wednesday at the Wailuku Police Station.

She said that there has not been an officer suicide in the last five years among Maui’s police force.

Faaumu said that nationwide, the deaths of police officers by suicide outpaces the number of deaths from the line of duty.

In 2018, there were 172 deaths by suicide and 121 deaths in the line of duty, he said. This year the national number of police officer deaths by suicide is already up to 215, he added.

The app also has quizzes that people can take to gauge their level of depression or evaluate how much they drink, for example. There is also information on finances and parenting tips, along with information on meditation, physical fitness and soothing sleep sounds.

Prince said the app is anonymous, so police will not know who downloads or uses it. It is also confidential and private, according to a news release. It is also optional.

The app is limited to officers, their families and MPD staff, since some contact numbers on the app may just be for police and not the public, Prince said.

The app cost MPD $35,000, Prince said.

If you or a loved one is facing a mental health crisis, contact the Crisis Line of Hawaii at (808) 832-3100 on Oahu or toll free at (800) 753-6879 on Neighbor Islands.

For the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call (800) 273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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