Philadelphia council considers classifying first responder suicides as line of duty deaths

Philly council considers classifying first responder suicides as line of duty deaths

Philadelphia City Council is addressing mental health struggles among first responders, considering new resources and benefits for families affected by suicide, and launching a funeral assistance program for families of homicide victims.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia City Council is opening a conversation about the mental health struggles of first responders, focusing on the need for new resources and support for both responders and their families.

Push for mental health support for first responders

What we know:

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson is leading a hearing on a resolution to recognize death by suicide among first responders as a line of duty death. Johnson said, "If you commit suicide you do not receive any type of health care benefits, any type of survivor benefits, so we want to change that."

Regan Falk, whose husband, former Philadelphia police officer Kevin Regan, died by suicide after being injured during the Walter Wallace riots, supports the resolution. "Kevin used to take off his uniform and he would come home and he was Dad to my children, he was my husband, he was my college sweetheart there was no difference in that person until the trauma started building," said Falk.

Falk said that from the time of her husband’s passing until December 31, 2023, about 12 officers in Philadelphia and surrounding departments died by suicide.

"For all of those families if you think about it to have nothing and their whole life changed in such a blink of an eye it’s crazy that this isn’t in the forefront even further," said Falk.

The resolution would also explore more mental health initiatives to prevent suicide, with the city’s Office of Risk Management expressing support for these efforts but not for changing the classification of line of duty deaths. 

Sharolyn Murphy, deputy director of finance for the Office of Risk Management, said, "We already have the workers compensation law that treats these cases in a certain way if the criteria is met so I would have to say although we support people and we definitely support Mrs. Falk not a separate classification correct."

Falk created the Kevin Regan Foundation to help support families of officers who died by suicide. She said, "There are some of those big cities that recognize suicide as an on-duty death because they know the trauma is extremely high. It’s crazy to me that there are cities so much smaller tiny cities in Texas tiny cities you know throughout the US that are recognizing this where, it’s not as prominent…."

The next step could be the creation of legislation in City Council, according to Johnson.

Philadelphia launches funeral assistance program for gun violence victims’ families

Philadelphia city leaders have launched the Homicide Victim Funeral Assistance Program to help families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. The program offers up to $2,000 for funeral and burial assistance for deaths after March 1.

The city says the initiative aims to remove financial stress during a time of grieving, noting that the national average cost of a funeral is about $8,000.

The program is designed to support families as they navigate the aftermath of a homicide, providing much-needed relief for funeral expenses.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear when City Council might vote on the proposed resolution or what additional mental health initiatives could be implemented for first responders.