By John Pacenti
A Newark #policeofficer holds the hat of Newark #Police Detective Michael Morgan during his funeral procession at Saint Lucy?s Roman Catholic Church in Newark, N.J. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011Last year, 64 #policeofficers were fatally shot in the line of duty. There were 160 who took their own lives.
The biggest threat to #lawenforcement #officers –and often, their families– is not any armed criminal. It is themselves.
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez now stands as a tragic example of where #mentalhealth and policing intersect. He remains at Tampa General Hospital after shooting himself in the head Sunday night with his service revolver. Before he shot himself, he had his hands around his wife’s throat, media reports say.
“This incident is also a tragic reminder of the critical role that #mentalhealth plays in our #lawenforcement #officers’ well-being,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a news conference on Wednesday.
“The reality is that these jobs are very demanding. They’re stressful and they’re emotionally taxing. They often require #officers to put their lives on the line.”
Ramirez had called Levine Cava, distressed, and offered to resign around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. There had been an incident at the Marriott Tampa Water Street.
Ramirez was seen with his hands on his wife’s throat, the Miami Herald reported. Somebody called the #police because they heard he had put his gun in his mouth. And then he and his wife were asked to leave the hotel for causing a disturbance.
After speaking with Levine Cava around 8:30 p.m., Ramirez shot himself in the head, the bullet reportedly exiting his eye.
Law enforcement #officers have a 54 percent increase in #suiciderisk compared to the general public, according to a 2019 study.
“Before #COVID, #suicide was the number one cause of death of in law enforcement,” said Steadman Stahl, president of South Florida #Police Benevolent Association.
#First-responders across the board are at risk – #policeofficers, #firefighters, EMTs, 911 operators. All must deal with tragedy on a routine basis. Shootings, horrific car accidents, drownings, drug overdoses, #childabuse.
“How do you go out day in, and day out throughout your career, and experience these types of situations?” said Al Eskanazy, founding chairman and CEO of the Miami Beach-based Community #Police Relations Foundation. “The emotional turmoil that has is incredible.”
Key Biscayne Fire Chief Eric Lang said there are “peer supporters” to address #mentalhealth in the department
“In the old days, you just kind of sucked it up and didn’t say anything, you carried it with you. Now we talk about it a little bit more, we have these resources available,” Lang said.
But sometimes those resources aren’t enough.
Ramirez’s predecessor – Robert Parker – killed himself in 2015 after he retired from the department, also shooting himself in the head.
Another top cop and former Mayor –Carlos Alvarez — was accused of #domesticviolence. But charges were dropped in 2016 when his ex-girlfriend, Evelyn Fernandez, a Miami-Dade #police lieutenant, did not show up for trial.
Ramirez knew all the #mental pitfalls the job entailed. “You can take the uniform but the experiences that you go through stay with you,” Ramirez told Miami television station WPLG in December 2021
Ramirez said he would compartmentalize his #stress and would never ask for help. He made it a priority to provide counseling for his #officers and Miami-Dade police has a robust #mentalhealth unit, Eskanazy and Stahl said.
But as director, Ramirez faced a whole new kind of #stress. He was named by Levine Cava to lead the department in 2020. She then named him in 2022 to oversee the fire-rescue department.
He shepherded the department during the height of the #COVID #pandemic.
He managed the department during the fallout and nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd. Then, the Surfside condominium Champlain Towers South collapsed, killing 98.
“The guy never really caught a break on anything,” Stahl said.
“Freddy is the type of leader, the type of man, who bears the burdens of those around him,” Levine Cava said. “He carries the weight of his department.”
Everything just unraveled for Ramirez while attending the Sheriffs conference. Tampa #police around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday arrived after reports of threatening to harm himself with a gun.
Ramirez denied he put his gun to his head and told #officers he was just arguing with his wife. But the couple had caused so much of a disturbance that the Marriott hotel asked them to leave.
That put Ramirez and his wife of 28 years, Jody, on Interstate 75 back home to Miami. There was a call to the mayor – and then tragedy.
Ramirez wasn’t known as one of these tough-as-nails irascible lawmen. He was affable. He played guitar. And – like in the WPLG interview – very open to talk about hard issues.
Ramirez appeared on the Independent’s Anti-Social podcast in May.
When Eskanazy first heard bits and pieces of what happened, he thought it was a joke – but then learned the horrifying truth.
“I just started crying,” he said. “I’m a pretty tough guy – born and raised in the streets of the Bronx. This just broke me.”
Stahl said he remains bewildered. He considers Ramirez a friend. “We would never have expected that, ” he said.
Lang added, “He was just like this random normal guy that people connected with. He needed help. He couldn’t get help. Everybody’s really moved by this.”
There are organizations to help for both #officers and family members of #cops who are subjected to the #stress.
The Atlantic magazine reported research suggesting #domesticviolence is two to four times higher in the law-enforcement community than in the general population.
Blue H.E.L.P., formed in 2015, keeps track of #suicides and offers resources.
Eskanazy’s #non-profit aims to bring law enforcement and distressed communities together.
“You can either allow that circumstance to deteriorate, or you can use it as an opportunity to understand it and grow from it,” he said.
#James Donaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation
website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,
#CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com
The program is called Struggle Well.
Stahl said it is important to change the stoic mindset of officers “that it is OK not to be OK. It’s OK to ask for help.” Still, there are concerns that by reaching for help it could be used against them by the media or as they try to move up in rank.
“We are changing that mindset,” Stahl said.
Stahl was traveling back Tuesday from Tampa where he visited with the Ramirez family.
“They’re sticking together. They’re strong,” he said. “They just want to get the director home. There is great love among the family.”
Photo by Daria Sannikova on Pexels.com https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2023/08/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-miamis-top-cop-tried-to-commit-suicide-mentalhealth-remains-an-issue-for-firstresponders/
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