{"id":4975,"date":"2025-08-22T07:32:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T07:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975"},"modified":"2025-08-22T07:32:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T07:32:52","slug":"four-deputies-from-same-department-died-by-suicide-6-weeks-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975","title":{"rendered":"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"275\">This is such a heartbreaking situation, and sadly, it reflects a much larger challenge facing law enforcement and emergency officials across the country. Supporting their mental health requires more than just good intentions\u2014it has to be systemic, proactive, and long-term.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"277\" data-end=\"712\">One of the first things that needs to change is the stigma around seeking mental health support. Officers often fear that therapy or counseling could hurt their careers, so they stay silent. Departments need to create a culture where asking for help is seen as strength, not weakness. Peer support programs, where trained colleagues act as a first line of listening and guidance, can help normalize reaching out before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"714\" data-end=\"1229\">Access is another huge issue. Confidential, 24\/7 hotlines specifically for first responders can make a difference, as can wellness units staffed by clinicians who actually understand the stresses of police and emergency work. More frequent mental health check-ins\u2014beyond just after major traumatic incidents\u2014could catch problems earlier. Some departments are beginning to require mandatory sessions after high-stress calls, not to punish officers but to give them a safe space to process what they\u2019ve experienced.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"media-item | figure media-item-image article-image w-100\">\n<div class=\"figure-wrapper img-wrapper figure-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid mx-auto d-block lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/gray-wala-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/ELKJ2JGW5VA4XIR62C74Z3K55I.png?auth=721c96f0740c262c76ec7330bcbe452b53af55a10e4e111d15d1a406e487f7cd&amp;width=980&amp;height=551&amp;smart=true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gray-wala-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/ELKJ2JGW5VA4XIR62C74Z3K55I.png?auth=721c96f0740c262c76ec7330bcbe452b53af55a10e4e111d15d1a406e487f7cd&amp;width=540&amp;height=303&amp;smart=true 540w, https:\/\/gray-wala-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/ELKJ2JGW5VA4XIR62C74Z3K55I.png?auth=721c96f0740c262c76ec7330bcbe452b53af55a10e4e111d15d1a406e487f7cd&amp;width=720&amp;height=404&amp;smart=true 720w, https:\/\/gray-wala-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/ELKJ2JGW5VA4XIR62C74Z3K55I.png?auth=721c96f0740c262c76ec7330bcbe452b53af55a10e4e111d15d1a406e487f7cd&amp;width=980&amp;height=551&amp;smart=true 980w, https:\/\/gray-wala-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/ELKJ2JGW5VA4XIR62C74Z3K55I.png?auth=721c96f0740c262c76ec7330bcbe452b53af55a10e4e111d15d1a406e487f7cd&amp;width=1300&amp;height=730&amp;smart=true 1300w\" alt=\"(left) Deputy Christina Kohler, former Deputy Long Nguyen, Deputy Maria Vasquez and former...\" width=\"980\" height=\"551\" data-ll-status=\"loaded\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"figure-caption mt-1 px-1\"><span class=\"caption-text\">(left) Deputy Christina Kohler, former Deputy Long Nguyen, Deputy Maria Vasquez and former Deputy William Bozeman all died by suicide within 6 weeks, according to officials.<\/span><span class=\"caption-credit\">(Mecklenburg County Sheriff\u2019s Office Facebook)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"1231\" data-end=\"1710\">The job itself takes a relentless toll. Repeated exposure to trauma, violence, and crises accumulates over time. Providing resilience training and regular debriefings could help officers unload some of that burden instead of carrying it silently. Families should also be included in the support system, because they often notice changes first\u2014withdrawal, irritability, unhealthy coping\u2014and could play a crucial role in encouraging early intervention if they\u2019re given the tools.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1712\" data-end=\"2011\">On a broader level, more funding at the state and federal level could ensure even small departments can afford proper wellness programs. Better tracking of first responder suicides, which are often underreported, would give a clearer picture of the problem and help allocate resources effectively.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2013\" data-end=\"2333\">What Sheriff Gonzalez said\u2014<em data-start=\"2040\" data-end=\"2179\">\u201cWhen a deputy dies by suicide, it is particularly painful because I can\u2019t help wondering what could have been said or done to help them\u201d<\/em>\u2014captures the heartbreak and helplessness that so many leaders feel. It shows just how deeply these losses affect not only families but entire agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is such a heartbreaking situation, and sadly, it reflects a much larger challenge facing law enforcement and emergency officials across the country. Supporting their mental health&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart - FRESH<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart - FRESH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is such a heartbreaking situation, and sadly, it reflects a much larger challenge facing law enforcement and emergency officials across the country. Supporting their mental health...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FRESH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-22T07:32:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/grow24.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6-5.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/04517c00d12fed4d6429f34df94a5345\"},\"headline\":\"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-22T07:32:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975\"},\"wordCount\":400,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/6-5.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975\",\"name\":\"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart - FRESH\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/6-5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-22T07:32:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/04517c00d12fed4d6429f34df94a5345\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/6-5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/6-5.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":640},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?p=4975#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/\",\"name\":\"FRESH\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/04517c00d12fed4d6429f34df94a5345\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a7123a349c15f1436c0b6ef0cb0678b16dcae27681f998bb30c9de74e4d77c2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a7123a349c15f1436c0b6ef0cb0678b16dcae27681f998bb30c9de74e4d77c2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a7123a349c15f1436c0b6ef0cb0678b16dcae27681f998bb30c9de74e4d77c2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/grow24.us\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart - FRESH","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart - FRESH","og_description":"This is such a heartbreaking situation, and sadly, it reflects a much larger challenge facing law enforcement and emergency officials across the country. Supporting their mental health...","og_url":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975","og_site_name":"FRESH","article_published_time":"2025-08-22T07:32:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6-5.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975"},"author":{"name":"Admin","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/#\/schema\/person\/04517c00d12fed4d6429f34df94a5345"},"headline":"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart","datePublished":"2025-08-22T07:32:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975"},"wordCount":400,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6-5.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975","url":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975","name":"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart - FRESH","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6-5.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-22T07:32:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/#\/schema\/person\/04517c00d12fed4d6429f34df94a5345"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6-5.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6-5.jpg","width":512,"height":640},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=4975#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Four deputies from same department died by suicide 6 weeks apart"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/","name":"FRESH","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/#\/schema\/person\/04517c00d12fed4d6429f34df94a5345","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7123a349c15f1436c0b6ef0cb0678b16dcae27681f998bb30c9de74e4d77c2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7123a349c15f1436c0b6ef0cb0678b16dcae27681f998bb30c9de74e4d77c2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7123a349c15f1436c0b6ef0cb0678b16dcae27681f998bb30c9de74e4d77c2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/grow24.us"],"url":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4975"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4977,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4975\/revisions\/4977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}