Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa announced today that their bipartisan legislation to help provide mental health services to law enforcement officers passed the United States House of Representatives and is on its way to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
The Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support (COPS) Counseling Act will encourage the adoption of law enforcement peer counseling programs across the country, according to a statement from Cortez Masto’s office released today. The legislation initially passed in the Senate in June.
“Our law enforcement officers protect American communities every day, and we need to make sure we get them the mental health support they need and deserve,” Cortez Masto said in the statement. “This bipartisan legislation will provide officers in Nevada and across the country with quality and confidential mental health counseling services, helping save lives and reduce the stigma around seeking help. Now that it has passed the House, I urge the President to sign the bill into law as soon as possible.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nearly 1 in 4 police officers has thoughts of suicide at some point in their life, and the suicide rate for police officers is four times higher than the rate for firefighters.
The act will also ensure that the information federal law enforcement officers share during their sessions remains confidential, except in regard to admissions of criminal conduct or threats of serious physical harm, according to the statement.
It will encourage first responder agencies to adopt peer counseling programs by requiring the Department of Justice to make the best practices publicly available on its website and to provide a list of training programs for people to become peer support mentors, the statement reads.