FBI Launches Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection
January 21, 2022
On January 1, the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection (LESDC) Act went into effect. Signed into federal law last year, LESDC aims to support law enforcement agencies in their efforts to understand and address officer suicide. The act creates a central system for collecting suicide data on current and former law enforcement officers, to which agencies across the country can submit. According to the act, the FBI must collect certain information about each officer suicide attempt and death, including the location and method used. LESDC defines a law enforcement officer as “any current or former officer (including a correctional officer), agent, or employee of the United States, a state, Indian tribe, or a political subdivision of a state authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of any violation of the criminal laws of the United States, a state, Indian tribe, or a political subdivision of a state.”
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