APD honor guard members place a wreath at the memorial to law enforcement officers who have died by suicide during a Sept. 25 ceremony commemorating National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day.
A ceremony was held at Alexandria Police Department Headquarters Sept. 25 to unveil a plaque dedicated to officers who have died by suicide as part of a recognition of National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day, which was the following day.
Lt. Tara Delio May reads the inscription on the plaque dedicated to officers
It was one year ago that the APD Suicide Memorial was dedicated in front of APD headquarters. The names of Jason Kline and Steven Pagach IV, best friends who served together on the force, are etched on the granite slab located next to the APD Fallen Officers Memorial.
Kline died in 2004 and Pagach in 2011.
The recent dedication was for a plaque installed near the rear entrance to the building used daily by APD personnel.
“We want this to be a reminder that there is hope and there is help,” said Lt. Tara Delio May of the plaque inscribed with the words “In darkness there is light.”
May did a presentation on officers Kline and Pagach while attending the National FBI Academy in 2022 and conceived the idea of a memorial in Alexandria.
“The emotional path of our profession is often challenging,” May said. “I along with others within the APD have struggled with the sudden loss of officers and friends to suicide. I recognized the need to remove the stigma often attached to the mental health struggles of our profession.”
National Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day aims to reduce the stigma associated with reaching out for help and support those who protect and serve.
According to the National Institutes of Health, police and other law enforcement officers are more likely to experience mental health issues. Worldwide one in every seven police officers suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and one in 10 struggles from other mental illnesses.
“With the addition of the awareness plaque I wanted to remind those women and men who serve the City of Alexandria that first and foremost we are a family within these walls and there is help when it's needed,” May said. “It's my vision that this will serve as a daily reminder to the brave women and men of our department and that we never have to inscribe another name on the memorial that honorably stands out front of our headquarters.”