Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma

01/09/2026

On January 9, 2026, communities across the nation observe Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a time to recognize and thank the men and women who serve in policing roles at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels.

This day offers an opportunity to pause and acknowledge the dedication, professionalism, and sacrifice required to protect public safety, often under challenging and complex circumstances.

Law enforcement officers routinely place themselves in harm’s way to respond to emergencies, prevent crime, and support victims. Beyond enforcement, they serve as problem-solvers, mentors, crisis responders, and partners in community well-being. Their work requires sound judgment, resilience, compassion, and a commitment to upholding the rule of law.

Appreciation also means recognizing the human side of the badge. Officers face long hours, high stress, and exposure to trauma. Support from the community, whether through a simple thank-you, positive engagement, or advocacy for officer wellness can make a meaningful difference.

Law Enforcement Appreciation Day is not about ignoring challenges; it’s about honoring service, encouraging constructive dialogue, and reinforcing shared goals of safety, trust, and respect.

On January 9, 2026, take a moment to express gratitude to those who serve and to reaffirm the importance of collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they protect.

www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

01/08/2026

Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma recognizes Founder and Wiscinsin Police Captain Adam Meyers, CPS for contributing to the book, "LIVING BLUE".

Adam is a strong mental health advocate and speaks about issues dealing with the importance of mental health care for law enforcement officers involved in a critical incident. Adam also speaks about the challenges he faced and overcame after his critical incident.

Adam stated in the book, "Public safety professionals who openly seek help for their mental health often face personal or professional criticism, discrimination, and sometimes termination. This should not deter them from seeking help, but it does. Mental illness is not a flaw in character or a sign of personal or professional weakness. Public safety leaders must take a helpful approach when anyone in their command is struggling from mental health issues."

"Leaders should establish peer support groups and actively participate in them. Leaders, 'Are you part of the problem or the solution?' Public safety professionals need to be able to trust the leaders and colleagues of their departments to recognize the obstacles and stigmas associated with mental health. They need to feel comfortable and confident that if they are involved in a critical incident and later struggle with mental health issues from the incident, that help will be available with no strings attached."

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis please dial 9-8-8 or 9-1-1.

www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

01/07/2026

Thank you The Love > hate Project for giving Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma Founder Captain Adam Meyers, CPS the opportunity to share his experience and for everything you're doing with your mission to End Interpersonal Violence, Promote Forgiveness, and Presencing Love.

With deep gratitude, we thank every person who gave during our year-end fundraising campaign. Every gift — large or small — helps keep Jessie’s legacy shining brightly and supports our mission to end interpersonal violence and promote forgiveness.

Because of your generosity, we raised $9,072.65 this season. That number represents far more than dollars. It represents hope, healing, and a community choosing love over hate.

To those who donated: you may never fully see the ripple effect of your generosity, but please know it reaches further than you can imagine. It fuels our work, strengthens our resolve, and touches the hearts of everyone carrying this mission forward. We know giving isn’t always easy or feasible, which makes your support even more meaningful. Thank you for standing with us.

And to the survivors who bravely shared their stories — Autumn, Adam, and Jacalyn — your courage changed lives. You opened the most painful chapters of your journeys so others could feel less alone. Through humility, strength, and perseverance, you reminded us all that even in the darkest tunnels, hope, love, and resilience are still possible.

While our year-end campaign has come to a close, the work continues. We welcome donations, volunteers, and survivor stories all year long. If you feel called to support, share, or participate in the LOVE>hate Project, we would be honored to hear from you.

And if you weren’t able to give before, but feel moved now, there is still time to make an impact. Every act of support helps us choose love, again and again.
https://www.theloveisgreaterthanhateproject.com/donate/

01/04/2026

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For 2025, both The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) and First Help are reporting lower-than-usual line-of-duty deaths and su***des among law enforcement. When it comes to su***des, we can only report what we can find and what has been reported directly to us. We are aware that these numbers are likely underreported, and we strongly encourage anyone with information to share what they know. (https://1sthelp.org/submit-a-first-responder/)

Despite lower overall numbers, su***de continues to outpace all other types of line-of-duty deaths.

As we enter 2026, many of the same challenges persist. Line-of-duty death cases are often reported quickly and require far less vetting than su***des. Even though su***des can now be considered line-of-duty deaths if they meet statutory criteria, and many have been granted LODD designation by the federal government, they are still absent from official LODD statistics and not recognized at the same level as other causes.

The designation process itself often retraumatizes families. It places an extraordinary burden of proof on loved ones, requiring detailed information about a career they may not fully have access to. Meanwhile, other non-felonious causes — such as heart attacks and single automobile crashes — are frequently granted LODD status without the same level of scrutiny.

In 2026, we hope to see more hearts and minds open to the reality that the job does contribute to su***de. In many cases, it is not just a factor — it is the catalyst.

EDIT: Graphic has been updated as more su***des were reported to us for 2025

01/04/2026

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EDIT: 11 new su***des were reported to us since this was posted. Graphic has been updated

In 2025, 129 first responder su***des were reported to First H.E.L.P., the lowest we have seen since we began this mission in 2016.

We honor the service and sacrifice of these brave members of our community and extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. Our hope is that these numbers continue to decline, so fewer families are forced to endure this profound loss.

We recognize that this number may be underreported, as we can only account for cases that are identified and shared with us. Please continue to confidentially submit information about losses so we can accurately honor their service and provide support to the loved ones they leave behind.

EDIT: Graphic has been updated as more su***des were reported to us for 2025

Please share what you know https://1sthelp.org/submit-a-first-responder/

01/03/2026

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Police officers may face hundreds of traumatic incidents over the course of their careers, but many still hesitate to seek mental health support when they need it.

01/01/2026

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Support first responders injured in the line of duty, new recruit education and the families of the fallen

01/01/2026

Men in Recovery - January 2026: Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma Founder Captain Adam Meyers, CPS believes that mental health recovery as a police officer is possible, even after the most difficult and traumatic experiences the job can bring.

Policing exposes officers to repeated critical incidents, violence, loss of life, and human suffering, often without time or space to properly process it. Over time, those experiences can lead to anxiety, depression, PTSD, moral injury, substance misuse, and unhealthy coping strategies.

Many officers are taught to push through, stay silent, and “handle it,” believing that asking for help is a sign of weakness or a career-ending decision. It is not.

Recovery does not mean forgetting what happened or pretending the trauma never occurred. Recovery means learning how to live again, with purpose, stability, and healthier ways to cope, while carrying the memories in a way that no longer controls your life. It means regaining your sense of identity, not just as an officer, but as a human being.

For police officers, recovery often begins with the hardest step: acknowledging that something is wrong and accepting the need for the right kind of help. Trauma-informed therapy, peer support, culturally competent clinicians who understand law enforcement, and evidence-based treatments such as EMDR or cognitive processing therapy can be life-changing. These tools help officers process critical incidents rather than relive them endlessly.

Recovery also includes rebuilding daily habits: sleep, physical health, boundaries at work, and reconnecting with family and friends. It means replacing harmful coping strategies with ones that support long-term wellness.

Progress is not linear. There will be setbacks, difficult days, and moments of doubt. That does not mean failure. It means healing is happening.

Too often, police culture equates strength with silence. True strength is choosing to survive, choosing treatment, and choosing life.

Officers who commit to their mental health recovery often discover a deeper resilience, improved relationships, and a renewed sense of meaning, whether they remain in law enforcement or transition to a new chapter.

Mental health struggles do not erase years of honorable service. They do not define an officer’s character, competence, or worth. A police officer can be injured in the line of duty physically and mentally. Both injuries deserve care, compassion, and time to heal.

Mental health recovery as a police officer is possible. It is real. And no officer has to walk that path alone.

www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

01/01/2026

Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma hopes that you and yours has a safe, healthy, and successful 2026.

www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

12/31/2025

Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma Founder Captain Adam Meyers, CPS received this in an e-mail.

Thank you for your kind words and support.

www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

12/31/2025

Four years ago today (New Year’s Eve - 2021) shortly after 11:00 a.m., I made one of the hardest and most important decisions of my life: I chose to get the right kind of help for my mental health. At the time, I was a police detective working a patrol shift on New Year’s eve, and my mental health was deteriorating in ways I didn’t yet fully understand or want to admit.

Following an on-duty critical incident where I used deadly force on someone in 2016 (this person died), my mental health steadily declined. I carried the weight of that incident with me every day. Like many officers, I told myself to “deal with it,” to stay busy, to push forward. Instead of processing the trauma, I relied on poor coping strategies like emotionally shutting down, isolation, abusing alcohol, casual s*x, self-harm, using ma*****na, and suppressing everything I was feeling.

I thought avoiding the pain meant I was managing it. In reality, I was making it worse.

In law enforcement, we’re trained to be problem solvers, protectors, and responders, not patients. I convinced myself that struggling meant I was weak or broken, that asking for help would define me by my worst moment instead of my years of service. So I suffered in silence while the cumulative stress, guilt, hypervigilance, and unresolved trauma took a serious toll on my mental health.

Four years ago, something changed. I reached a point where continuing the way I was felt more dangerous than asking for help. Getting the right help meant finding professionals who understood trauma, critical incidents, and law enforcement culture.

It meant confronting the shooting, my reactions to it, and the unhealthy ways I had been coping. It meant learning that trauma doesn’t mean failure and that ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear.

Finally putting myself first wasn't easy. Healing is not linear. There were setbacks, painful realizations, and days where progress felt slow or nonexistent. But there was also growth. I learned healthier coping strategies, how to process trauma instead of burying it, and how to rebuild my life beyond the badge and the incident that once defined me.

In April 2022, I was terminated from my role as a Detective while I was in the process of getting help for my mental health. With the right treatment and support, I was able to heal, rebuild, and ultimately return to law enforcement as a police officer.

Today, I’m proud of that decision. Choosing my mental health quite literally saved my life. If sharing this helps another officer who’s struggling after a critical incident or anyone living with unresolved trauma know that they are not weak and they are not alone, then it’s worth saying out loud.

It's o.k. to talk about your mental health. You are not alone. Don't suffer in silence.

Photo of Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma Founder Captain Adam Meyers, CPS in 2021 when he was a Wisconsin Police Detective
www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org