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Facing daily scenes of trauma, death and danger — among other stressors — police officers report much higher rates of depression, burnout, PTSD and anxiety than the general population with almost 25% of police officers having experienced suicidal ideation at least once in their lifetime, according to the the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Jared Buchanan, a U.S. Marine Corps, is graduating this weekend from Southern Connecticut State University with a degree in psychology so he can help police officers and veterans struggling with depression and PTSD in honor of this father, an East Hartford police officer who died by suicide in 2013.
And add to that, they’ve endured a stressful year of pandemic response too. “It’s a testament to the fire department and the city employees that we have that even in this time of tragedy, they get up, come to work to keep people safe,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “They’re human before they assume a badge and their human during and they’re human after,” said Phyllis DiGioia, owner and executive director of Honor Wellness Center in Manchester. One firefighter was killed in a fire in New Haven on Wednesday, another is in the hospital. The mayor is thanking people for how they have been coming foreward to support the department.
A struggle ensued, that continued outside the suspect’s car. It moved just outside the view of the dashcam video Lord shared with NBC Connecticut Investigates. That’s when Lord shot the suspect multiple times, according to investigators. Lord explained, “He was behind me, choking me from behind. So I reached back under my left armpit and fired several shots.” He said the PTSD from the incident lasted years. “It’s a tie between the incident itself and my visit to the attorney’s office, where I was told, pending the investigation I could be arrested for manslaughter. And that I was potentially, the perpetrator, in this situation.”