Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, you are not alone — and help is always available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with a trained counselor, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. Whether you’re seeking support for yourself or someone you care about, please know that it’s never too late to reach out. You deserve help. You deserve hope. Someone is ready to listen.
Since the start of 2025, six police officers across New York — including three from Long Island — have died by suicide, highlighting ongoing concerns about mental health in law enforcement, according to the New York Post. Across the country, lawmakers are pushing forward legislation designed to break stigma, protect confidentiality and offer meaningful support to first responders.
In New York, lawmakers have reintroduced the Lt. Joseph Banish Mental Health Act for the 2025–2026 session. The bill would establish a formal, confidential peer support system for police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others, allowing them to speak openly with trained colleagues who understand the unique stressors of the work.
“First responders face significantly higher mental health issues compared to the general population,” Skoufis told Mid Hudson News. “Their work is intense, unpredictable and regularly exposes them to high-stress environments. We have to address the mental health of the first responders our communities count on. I am proud to support New York’s police departments, fire departments and EMTs and will continue to work to ensure they receive the resources they need.”
A system built on shared experience
The reintroduced bills — S6244 in the Senate and A6721 in the Assembly — would amend New York’s mental hygiene law to recognize and regulate peer counseling programs. Participating departments and county programs would be required to provide specialized training and maintain confidentiality, similar to models already in place in other states.
Named in honor of New York State Police Lt. Joseph Banish, who died by suicide, the legislation is part of a broader movement to reduce stigma and create formal pathways for mental wellness inside first responder agencies.
The program would focus on peer-to-peer support, based on the belief that officers are more likely to speak openly with those who’ve experienced similar stressors and trauma.
The structure of the bill is modeled after programs already in place in states such as Oregon, Kentucky and Massachusetts, where peer-to-peer models have been implemented with confidentiality safeguards, Mid Hudson News reports.
A long-standing effort
Nassau County Police Benevolent Association President Tommy Shevlin has long been calling for these kinds of changes.
Shevlin has been working with lawmakers since 2019 to address police officer mental health, the New York Post reports. The union already offers 24/7 access to mental health clinicians and requires check-ins for probationary officers, but Shevlin said more systemic support is urgently needed.
In a recent guest essay for Newsday, Shelvin described the trauma officers experience on the job — and the stigma that too often keeps them silent.
“Police officers are three times more likely to die by suicide than be killed in the line of duty,” Shevlin wrote. “That’s not just a statistic — it’s a siren that cannot be ignored any longer.”
Shevlin, who is also a state-certified counselor and has worked in his department’s employee assistance office, described sitting “across from officers fighting to hold on.” Depression, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts, he wrote, “aren’t rare in our line of work — they are heartbreakingly common.”
But many officers don’t seek help because they fear losing their careers — or being labeled weak, Shelvin stated. Shevlin recalled the fears he’s heard firsthand: “If I speak up, they’ll think I’m weak.” “If I go to counseling, they’ll take my gun.”
To address that fear, Shevlin has voiced strong support for the Lt. Joseph Banish Mental Health Act.
“This bill would create a confidential, departmentally approved network of trained officers who can help their fellow officers deal with trauma, stress, grief and anxiety,” he wrote. “It builds trust. And it works.”He added that the legislation strikes a needed balance — protecting confidentiality while maintaining legal safeguards for public safety. For Shevlin, supporting this bill is about more than politics: “It’s about stopping the next suicide, saving the next life, supporting every officer who silently struggles to keep going.”
The Nassau PBA already offers around-the-clock access to mental health clinicians and mandates check-ins for probationary officers. But Shevlin argues that the kind of systemic, statewide approach laid out in the Lt. Joseph Banish Mental Health Act is the next necessary step — one that could “give our officers the support they need before it’s too late.”
Shevlin isn’t the only local voice sounding the alarm.
“We are in the midst of a quiet crisis,” Suffolk County PBA President Lou Civello told The Post.
Civello noted that four Suffolk officers died by suicide in 2024 — though, as of mid-April, none have been reported in 2025. Still, the lingering effects remain.
“This legislation is not just necessary — it’s long overdue,” Civello told The Post.
Building on federal protections
The state-level effort follows the 2021 passage of the COPS Counseling Act, a federal law that established confidentiality protections for peer counseling programs in federal law enforcement agencies.
While the COPS Act marked a significant shift in federal policy, it didn’t extend those same protections to state or local responders — a gap Skoufis’s legislation seeks to close.
If passed, the Lt. Joseph Banish Mental Health Act would give departments across New York the ability to build safe, peer-led programs that meet the mental health needs of those who often put others first.
States introduce mental health bills for first responders
Lawmakers in several other states have introduced legislation this session aimed at expanding mental health resources for first responders:
North Carolina bill would cover PTSD, anxiety for police, fire and EMS
House Bill 463, reintroduced in North Carolina’s 2025–2026 session, would provide supplemental insurance for first responders experiencing psychological trauma. Covered conditions would include PTSD, anxiety and depression.
Covered individuals would include law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and 911 dispatchers. The bill aims to ensure these professionals are not left out of mental health coverage typically provided for physical injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Texas lawmakers push for peer support network for first responders
Senate Bill 2555, filed in April 2025, proposes a statewide peer support network for Texas law enforcement and fire service personnel.
The proposed program would be jointly developed by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and include:
- Peer-to-peer support services
- Suicide prevention training for peer coordinators
- Access to mental health professionals with first responder experience
- Confidentiality protections
- An annual report to the governor and legislature
The bill also includes strong privacy provisions: participation in the program would be confidential and could not be used in certification or licensure decisions.
Illinois maintains focus on first responder mental health grants
Senate Bill 696, introduced in the Illinois General Assembly, makes a technical amendment to the state’s First Responder Mental Health Grant Program Act. While the change is procedural, it keeps legislative attention on maintaining grant funding for training, clinician access and department wellness programs.
Federal bill proposes national mental health hotline for first responders
At the federal level, the First Responders Wellness Act (S.666) was introduced in early 2025 in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan bill would create a dedicated mental health hotline for first responders, offering:
- Peer support and emotional wellness services
- Brief mental health interventions
- Referrals to licensed behavioral health professionals
The goal is to create a national, easily accessible point of contact for law enforcement officers, firefighters, dispatchers and EMS personnel in crisis — one staffed by people who understand the demands of the job.
The bill also includes provisions to ensure that hotline staff receive training specific to first responder trauma.
In a letter of support, the Fraternal Order of Police praised the bill for establishing “a dedicated, toll-free, 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, national hotline for first responders to access support for mental health, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and substance abuse resources.” The FOP noted the legislation “will provide the kind of support system that law enforcement and other first responders urgently need.”
For those interested in department-wide resources, Lexipol’s Wellness solutions help agencies deliver anonymous, 24/7 support, enhance peer support team readiness, and build a culture of wellness. Contact Lexipol at 844-312-9500 to learn more or request more information here.
