Colorado Peace Officers Plead For Help Dealing With Post-Traumatic Stress

DENVER (CBS4) - Every year during May officers who died in the line of duty are remembered. The names of four fallen officers from Colorado were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. just last week. But for every officer who dies in the line of duty far more are taking their own lives, and peace officers are asking for help.

It's estimated more than 1,200 first responders in Colorado suffer from post-traumatic stress. Last year alone seven officers in Colorado took their own lives. Yet the state Legislature has failed for the second year in the row to pass a bill that would help with treatment.

A desperate Colorado law enforcement community is helping its own. They respond to accident and disaster scenes, mass murders and child abuse. First responders see it all, and sometimes it's too much.

"This is tough work and it can take a toll, and when those people need help, somebody needs to step up and help them," Frank Gale with the Fraternal Order of Police told CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd.

Gale says many officers aren't getting that help. In Colorado, workers compensation doesn't cover post-traumatic stress if it's caused by something within the normal scope of a job. Without treatment, many first responders are committing suicide.

Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, sounded an alarm at the state Capitol.

"We have a job to protect our protectors. When our cops, when our EMTs, when our firefighters face trauma on the job we should do everything we can to make sure they're okay," Singer said. "All my bill did is it said that you should never be discriminated against because of your job."

The insurance lobby put up a fight the first year and the bill became a study. The study found the problem widespread and the bill still failed.

"It's a disappointment; a significant disappointment," Gale said.

Gale says they had to do something. The Colorado Police Officers Foundation is now funding treatment for those who need it.

"We provide it at no cost, so obviously there's a financial burden for us and we solicit donations," Gale said. "We do the best we can because we know there's a need there."

Singer says he's not giving up.

"The fact that our Legislature can't get it together just gives me more fire in my belly to come back next year with something better," Singer said.

He has hope. After the bill died on a party-line vote in the Senate last month, Singer says the insurance lobby came to him and said they also recognized the need for a compromise on this issue and promised to work toward that next year.

LINKS: Fraternal Order of Police | Colorado Police Officers Foundation