‘You are not alone:’ Cop suicides prompt tearful plea from union leader
TORONTO — Three officer suicides in as many weeks have prompted a police union leader to write a deeply personal letter urging his members to reach out if they find themselves in emotional distress.
The deaths of the Ontario officers have focused attention on the stresses first responders face and the difficulties of persuading them to find help, Rob Jamieson said.
“I write this message with tears in my eyes, not in thinking of my own journey, but of those we have lost and their families left behind,” wrote Jamieson, head of the Ontario Provincial Police Association.
“This has been a personal journey and it is difficult to share this … however, I do so in the hope that it may give some strength to hang on, to speak to someone, and to know you are not alone.”