Nationwide, law enforcement officers are valiantly upholding their professional oath in the face of tremendous adversity. Growing “anti-police” sentiment, increasing civil and political unrest, and COVID-19 have created a demoralizing and dangerous environment for these officers.

Science has proven that prolonged exposure to stress puts an individual at risk of mental health conditions. It’s a fact that we’re seeing in law enforcement. Long work hours, fear of the unknown, and increased illness, injury, and death are taking their toll on these professionals. Incidents of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder are on the rise. Sadly, so are suicides.

When an officer is killed in the line of duty, there are several resources available to support their family financially. This is not the case when an officer commits suicide. There are no accolades or honors for the fallen and no financial assistance for their families.

Since March, we’ve also seen hundreds of law enforcement officers either lose their lives to COVID-19 or go out on sick leave after contracting it on the job. Officers who suffer prolonged illness may not have enough sick time to cover their absence. No more sick time often means no more paycheck.

Operation Longevity recognizes the many hardships that our officers and their families are experiencing currently, and we are here to help. In addition to providing wellness support and resources, we are now raising funds through our “We Stand Behind the Thin Blue Line” campaign to help our law enforcement families cover daily living expenses when wages are lost due to COVID-19 or suicide.

According to Blue HELP, the non-profit that advocates for law enforcement suicide prevention, 326 officers have taken their lives since 2019. It’s expected that when reporting catches up, that tally will be much higher.

By contributing to our “We Stand Behind the Thin Blue Line” campaign you are showing our law enforcement families that they are not alone in their struggles and grief. Please help us make a difference for these families by contributing to this campaign today.

Additionally, all contributions made to this campaign are being matched in the form of free wellness and resiliency training so that more Law Enforcement Professionals have access to this help now—when they need it most.