AN OFFICERS LIFELINE
CALL: (800) 267-5463
I wanted to provide you with information on CopLine a hotline that is beneficial to all police officers and their family members. The topics of Officer Wellness and Resiliency for first responders is on the forefront of numerous Law Enforcement agencies across the nation and CopLine would like to do our part in spreading the word that Help and Support is only a phone call away. CopLine is an international law enforcement hotline that is manned by retired law enforcement personnel. It was established as a lifeline for police officers both active and retired across the country. We are a non-profit organization providing 24/7/365 coverage of trained peer support volunteers for intervention along with referrals to vetted mental health professionals that specialize in the law enforcement community.
CopLine is a crucial life-saving program that will help numerous officers and their families during times of need. We currently find ourselves in an international crisis, not only with police suicide but with the added stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 and the recent anti-police protests. We deal with the many psychological stressors that officers and their families experience daily and we are available to them during their best and worst days. CopLine provides the environment for officers to reach out for help because they know the line is anonymous, confidential and whom better to talk to than a fellow officer who understands the graphic violence and daily stressors he/she experiences, thus having the ability to comprehend and show empathy.
We are an outreach to those officers in need of support and outreach to retired officers interested in volunteer work willing to help with our program by answering the lines. Our volunteers are comprised of officers from various ranks and agencies from across the country giving up their time to help fellow partners. Working on the hotline is extremely satisfying and a great way to give back to those still serving our communities.
I encourage anyone interested in supporting this great cause to visit our webpage CopLine.org. Potential volunteers can go to our site and click on Volunteer in the upper right hand corner, then click on the LINK to complete a mandatory questionnaire. Each volunteer must attend and complete a mandatory 40hr Active Listener training course with topics such as mental illness, trauma/burnout, life threatening illness, coping skills, grief/loss, suicide risk assessment and suicidology. The training (40 hours) is at no cost to the volunteer which leads us to the topic of donations. Each donation submitted either online or directly to CopLine is utilized for maintaining the hotline, outreach and training purposes. At CopLine we distribute PTSD wallet cards, posters and flyers to police departments across the USA and Canada at no cost. Our handout material is often the first time an officer has realized that our resource exists which is our opportunity to support officers in need. Our training costs cover the services of trainers which consist of active police psychologists and suicide prevention specialists that conduct our 5-day training course. Those donors interested in supporting this great cause can rest assure that our funds are directed towards the survival of the hotline.
Our next training class is tentatively scheduled for September 30, 2020 to October 4, 2020 (Wednesday-Sunday). It is with great appreciation that CopLine has partnered with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The above listeners training course is being sponsored by the Sheriff’s Relief Association, specifically for 25 pre-selected retired sworn members from LASD. A portion of the current CopLine volunteer pool actually consists of retired LASD personnel who have joined our CopLine family and readily give back to those still wearing the badge.
If anyone has any inquiries please reach out to CopLine Founder/Director, Psychotherapist Ms. Stephanie Samuels at copline@optonline.net or director@copline.org.
If anyone has any questions feel free to contact Jim Alvarez (retired LAPD) at JAlvarez@copline.org.