WASHINGTON — The surge in the crime rate is not only impacting D.C. families, but on the District’s officers called to respond to it as well.
The Centers for Disease Control report suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse are rising among first responders due to the long-term stress and trauma of the job.
Last week, a panel of first responders met virtually to speak openly and honestly about their struggles and getting help with the Volunteers of America – a 501(c)(3) organization that provides housing assistance, offers help to veteran and provides other services to those in need.
Those services in the moral injury recovery programs, which helps soldiers returning from deployments and, now, police officers. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock, who leads the program, says moral injury is more than just post-traumatic stress. Moral injury, she said, comes in the wake of high-stakes situations where things go wrong.
Brock has studied the impact of moral injuries on soldiers at war and now says our nation’s first responders, like former DC Polie Officer Bob Glover, are suffering too.
Glover recently retired after nearly 28 years with the DC Police Department. He served as a commander and for four years as a lieutenant in the department’s homicide unit.
"You see inhumanity, humanity every single day,” Glover said. “And it took a toll on me personally. Lost a marriage, had some unhealthy coping mechanisms. And as an official, I've had two officer suicides that I've had to process and handle within our own agency."
Glover was also one of hundreds of DC Police officers who responded to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
"January 6th was very impactful for me,” he said. “I was the incident commander on the west front. We talk about moral injury: something I still struggle with is not being able to care for the injured officers.”
Glover says DC Police have since added therapy dogs and a wellness coordinator to its program designed to help officers cope. But, as the nation’s capital sees a surge in crime, Glover says seeking help is a lifeline. One he found with the VOA’s REST program – a free virtual support group for first responders.
“I think, as a leader, we have to emphasize it’s ok not to be ok and it’s ok to ask for help,” Glover said.
If you’re a veteran, police officer or first responder who needs help, you can find more information about VOA’s REST Virtual Support program here.