New GAO Report Highlights Critical Need for Law Enforcement Wellness, Officer Mental Health, and Suicide Prevention Programs
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is reinforcing what researchers, clinicians, and law enforcement leaders have increasingly recognized: improving officer wellness requires more than individual resilience programs. Effective law enforcement wellness and suicide prevention efforts depend on organizational commitment, leadership accountability, data-driven decision-making, and a culture that supports mental health.
The report, Federal Law Enforcement: DHS Could Improve Data Collection and Assessment of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Programs (GAO-26-107878), provides one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of officer mental health, law enforcement suicide prevention, and workplace wellness programs within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While the report focuses on federal law enforcement agencies, its findings offer important lessons for police departments, sheriff's offices, federal agencies, and public safety organizations nationwide.
At The Howard C. Liebengood Foundation (HCLF), we view the report as an important validation of a principle that has guided our work from the beginning: improving officer health and wellness requires organizational change, not simply individual interventions.
What Does the GAO Report Say About Law Enforcement Mental Health?
The GAO found that mental health outcomes among law enforcement officers are shaped by a combination of occupational, organizational, cultural, and personal factors.
Among the challenges identified were:
Shift work and irregular schedules
Mandatory overtime
Extended deployments away from home
Chronic exposure to stress and trauma
Stigma surrounding mental health treatment
Concerns about career impacts from seeking help
Personal and family stressors
These findings reinforce a growing body of research showing that officer wellness is deeply influenced by workplace conditions and organizational culture.
Mental health challenges in policing cannot be addressed solely through individual coping strategies. Agencies themselves influence health outcomes through leadership practices, staffing levels, workloads, workplace culture, access to care, and policies that either encourage or discourage help-seeking.
For this reason, many experts now advocate for an organizational wellness approach that treats officer health as a leadership and systems issue rather than solely an individual responsibility.
Why Data Collection Matters for Officer Wellness and Suicide Prevention
One of the report's most significant findings involves gaps in data collection related to officer suicide and mental health outcomes.
According to the GAO, selected DHS agencies reported at least 99 suicide-related deaths among law enforcement personnel between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. However, inconsistencies in reporting and data collection limited DHS's ability to identify trends, evaluate risks, and strengthen prevention efforts. This challenge extends beyond DHS.
Many law enforcement agencies struggle to collect reliable, standardized information regarding:
Officer mental health
Suicide risk factors
Utilization of mental health services
Barriers to treatment
Wellness program effectiveness
Long-term health outcomes
Without accurate data, agencies cannot effectively answer critical questions:
Which wellness programs are improving outcomes?
Which groups of officers may face elevated risks?
Where are gaps in care and support services?
How should resources be allocated?
At HCLF, we believe meaningful change begins with understanding the problem. Data-driven approaches help law enforcement agencies identify barriers to care, evaluate organizational wellness efforts, and better understand the factors that influence officer health and resilience. Reliable information is essential for developing effective strategies that improve outcomes for officers, agencies, and the communities they serve.
Are Law Enforcement Wellness Programs Effective?
The GAO report acknowledges that DHS agencies have implemented numerous officer wellness initiatives, including:
Employee assistance programs (EAPs)
Peer support programs
Resilience training
Mental health resources
Suicide prevention programs
However, the report also found that DHS has not consistently evaluated whether many of these programs are achieving their intended outcomes and this distinction is critical.
The existence of a wellness program does not automatically mean it improves officer mental health or reduces suicide risk.
Research on police wellness and first responder mental health increasingly emphasizes the importance of:
Evidence-based practices
Outcome measurement
Continuous program evaluation
Organizational accountability
Data-driven improvement
Agencies that regularly assess program effectiveness are better positioned to identify successful interventions, improve participation, and direct resources toward strategies that produce measurable results.
Reducing Mental Health Stigma in Law Enforcement
The report highlights U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Safe Harbor initiative as an innovative effort to reduce barriers to seeking mental health support.
The program allows officers to seek assistance for mental health concerns without automatically facing job loss or removal from duty, while maintaining appropriate safety standards.
This approach addresses one of the most persistent challenges in law enforcement mental health: stigma. Many officers continue to worry that seeking mental health treatment could negatively affect their careers, reputation, or future opportunities.
Reducing stigma requires more than awareness campaigns. Effective organizational strategies include:
Strong confidentiality protections
Leadership support for mental health treatment
Peer support programs
Clear wellness policies
Positive messaging around help-seeking
Consistent organizational commitment
The profession has made meaningful progress in normalizing mental health support, but significant barriers remain.
Leadership Accountability Is Essential for Officer Wellness
Perhaps the most important lesson from the GAO report is that leadership matters. The report's recommendations focus on improving:
Program oversight
Policy implementation
Data collection
Program evaluation
Organizational accountability
These recommendations reflect a growing understanding that officer wellness programs cannot succeed in isolation. Sustainable improvements in police wellness require active leadership engagement and integration of wellness into organizational culture.
Leaders influence officer health through the priorities they establish, the resources they allocate, and the behaviors they model.
Organizations that successfully improve officer wellness often treat health, resilience, and mental well-being as operational priorities rather than optional programs.
Key Takeaways from the GAO Report on Officer Wellness
The GAO report offers several clear recommendations that apply not only to DHS but to law enforcement agencies at every level:
Understand organizational factors that influence officer mental health.
Improve mental health and suicide prevention data collection.
Evaluate wellness programs based on measurable outcomes.
Reduce barriers to seeking care.
Strengthen leadership accountability for wellness efforts.
These recommendations are relevant to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies seeking to improve officer health, reduce suicide risk, and build healthier organizations.
The Future of Law Enforcement Wellness
As conversations about police wellness, officer mental health, and suicide prevention continue to evolve, the profession faces an important opportunity.
The future of officer wellness will not be determined by any single program or initiative. It will be shaped by the willingness of agencies to build organizations that learn, adapt, evaluate outcomes, and support the people who serve within them.
At The Howard C. Liebengood Foundation, we believe improving law enforcement wellness requires collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals, agency leaders, policymakers, officers, and families. The GAO report provides valuable evidence supporting that vision and reinforces the need for organizational approaches that make health, wellness, and resilience integral components of the law enforcement profession.
Join the Conversation at the 2026 HCLF Symposium
The challenges highlighted in the GAO report underscore the need for continued collaboration among law enforcement leaders, researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and wellness professionals.
This September, The Howard C. Liebengood Foundation will host the inaugural Symposium: The Evolving Law Enforcement Landscape and the First Responder Mental Health Crisis, bringing together experts from across the country to explore evidence-based approaches to:
Law enforcement wellness
Officer mental health
Healthcare access and outcomes
Leadership and culture change
As agencies work to address many of the same challenges identified by the GAO including reducing stigma, strengthening organizational culture, improving data collection, and evaluating wellness initiatives, the symposium offers an opportunity to share research, explore innovative solutions, and build partnerships that support lasting change.
We invite law enforcement professionals, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers to join us as we work toward a healthier and more resilient future for the profession.
Learn more and register for the HCLF Symposium at https://hclf.org/symposium.