My Capitol officer husband died by suicide. His loss of life deserves ‘line of obligation’ designation.

It has been a 12 months for the reason that Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. My beloved husband, U.S. Capitol Police officer Howard “Howie” Liebengood, was on obligation that day and continued to serve almost across the clock on Jan. 7, Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 with minimal sleep between shifts. Sleep-deprived and exhausted, my husband took his life the evening of Jan. 9. If it had not been for the occasions of Jan. 6 and the unremitting work schedule on the following days, I imagine my husband would nonetheless be right here.

As anybody who has grieved a liked one is aware of, time is a wierd factor. It’s onerous to imagine we’re a 12 months away from the occasions of that week; there are moments the place it appears like this all occurred yesterday. My grief is difficult by the truth that our household, together with Howie’s siblings, finds ourselves at a number of intersecting factors of American tradition: the polarized political atmosphere, the calls for on first responders particularly throughout a time of pandemic, and the nationwide dialog round psychological well being and wellness.

Paperwork cripples simply designations

One of many hardest discoveries has been encountering the tradition and forms round line-of-duty designations. If a regulation enforcement officer commits suicide, even when it was within the context of a vital incident and its aftermath like Jan. 6, they’re not eligible for a line-of-duty designation.

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That is important, as a result of that designation is utilized by numerous entities to find out every thing from who is included on a list of fallen officers to different varieties of memorialization like lying in at the U.S. Capitol to the types of benefits their partner and/or youngsters obtain.

It has been eye-opening to be taught that the authorized steerage and accompanying administrative processes round line of obligation so clearly replicate our society’s continued wrestle to acknowledge the significance of psychological well being past verbiage however in observe. Affected households are left questioning why, with all of the advances in our understanding of mental health and trauma, suicide and post-traumatic stress dysfunction are not reflected in the designations. Put merely, the designation course of reinforces stigma and fails to acknowledge the impression of work-related stressors on psychological well being.

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There are a number of line-of-duty designation policies, by way of a number of entities, they usually usually acknowledge that the character of this work may end up in dangerous bodily outcomes. For instance, in no less than one in all these insurance policies, if an officer engages in nonroutine traumatic or strenuous exercise as a part of an emergency response or a coaching train, and that officer has a heart attack, that’s considered a death in the line of duty.

If Howie had had a coronary heart assault, we most likely wouldn’t be preventing to get his loss of life acknowledged and correctly memorialized.

USA TODAY Editorial Board: Police who died by suicide after facing combat at U.S. Capitol need to be memorialized

Sadly, this isn’t a singular state of affairs. Nationwide, estimates are that the chance of suicide amongst cops is 54% greater than amongst American employees usually.

There’s a lot to be accomplished to vary that, and many individuals have been doing work for years to deliver consideration to the problem and cut back stigma. As one a part of these efforts, I feel that officers and households affected by suicide deserve a evaluation of the standards used to find out an “within the line-of-duty designation.” We are able to act now to make sure a trauma-informed system.

A time for actual change, not platitudes

I acknowledge that there’s a bigger dialog happening about policing and reform on this nation. Specializing in structural modifications – not simply platitudes – in regards to the significance of psychological wellness and resilience for regulation enforcement is crucial for all of us. We should do higher to guard the well-being of regulation enforcement to allow them to proceed to guard our communities.

What occurs subsequent? Democracy can survive if House committee investigating Jan. 6 Capitol riots does its job

Howie was a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Capitol Police. He was a 51-year-old husband, brother, uncle and valued buddy to many. His omnipresent smile mirrored his heat, light and compassionate persona. Howie’s loyalty to his job, his colleagues and his household and family members was palpable. His devotion to Congress, our nation and repair stays a beacon of sunshine for his relations and group, and a reminder that relationships and persons are what matter most.

I’m nonetheless selecting up the items of my damaged coronary heart, however I’m additionally decided to deliver optimistic change to the establishments that failed my Howie – not simply because it’s the correct factor to do, however as a result of it is what Howie would have wished.

Dr. Serena McClam Liebengood is a radiologist at Johns Hopkins Medication and the widow of the late U.S. Capitol Police officer Howie C. Liebengood.

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This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Jan 6 Capitol Police officer line of duty: My husband died by suicide