Washington, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King (I-ME) announced that Rumford Police Department has been awarded a total of $163,462 through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS) Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) grant program to provide greater mental health support to law enforcement officers and their families.

"Law enforcement officers willingly place themselves in harm's way to protect our communities. It is our responsibility to equip them and their families with the necessary resources to safeguard their well-being,” said Senators Collins and King. “This important funding will support mental health programs for the dedicated men and women who make up the Rumford Police Department, as well as their families.”

Recent studies have found that law enforcement officers have a 54% increase in suicide risk, compared to civilians.  This risk is magnified for departments with less than 50 full-time officers, a category which includes the vast majority of Maine’s police departments. 

LEMWHA implementation grants support state, local, tribal, or territorial law enforcement agencies seeking to implement new or enhance existing programs that offer training and services on officer emotional and mental health, peer mentoring, suicide prevention, stress reduction, and support services for officers and their families.

In August of 2022, the Public Safety Officer Support Act, co-sponsored by Senator Collins, was signed into law. This bipartisan legislation acknowledged the reality that law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency responders face a heightened risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorders that may lead to trauma-induced suicides. The bill expanded the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program to both create an avenue for officers to seek disability benefits for PTSD, and allowed families of officers who die by trauma-linked suicide to apply for death benefits.

Senators Collins and King have been longstanding supporters of law enforcement officers. Last year, they announced more than $700,000 to hire new law enforcement officers in five communities across Maine and have repeatedly voted for spending packages that increase funding for the COPS program.

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