Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) for Law Enforcement

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) for Law Enforcement is a 90-minute online certificate training program that teaches law enforcement professionals how to detect, intervene with, and refer someone at risk for suicide. Adapted from the broader Question, Persuade, and Refer emergency mental health gatekeeper training intervention, it teaches members of the law enforcement community to recognize and respond positively to someone exhibiting suicide warning signs and behaviors. Like CPR, QPR uses a “chain of survival” approach in which the gatekeeper learns to recognize early suicide warning signs, Question their meaning to determine suicide intent or desire, Persuade the person to accept or seek help, and Refer the person to appropriate resources. Law enforcement content was created with the help of Dr. John Violanti and Lt. Dell Hackett (Ret.), veteran police officers who are involved in the design, implementation, research and analysis of programs related to police stress, health improvement, and suicide prevention. The two officers have more than 50 years of combined law enforcement experience.

An additional 4-5 hour advanced certificate course is included in the online training program. The advanced certificate course covers suicide risk assessment and management, including: how to detect risk; how to interview suicidal people; what questions to ask; how to ask them; and what the answers to these questions mean in terms of determining level of immediate risk and steps to implement safe outcomes, including means restriction efforts. One objective of the advanced course is to help law enforcement, emergency departments, jails, and mental health providers “speak the same language” about suicide when sharing responsibility for citizen safety. To supplement online training, a free companion post-online First Responder Instructor Manual is available on request. Final peer review of both courses was provided by Chief Roger Bragdon (Ret.), Spokane Police Department.

Program Objectives

At the end of the training, QPR for Law Enforcement participants will have increased knowledge of:

1. Warning signs for suicide.
2. How to effectively intervene with those at risk for suicide.
3. How to refer someone at risk for suicide to an appropriate helping resource.

Implementation Essentials

• QPR for Law Enforcement participants should have knowledge of local helping resources.

2012 NSSP Objectives Addressed: 

Objective 7.1: Provide training on suicide prevention to community groups that have a role in the prevention of suicide and related behaviors.