Editor's Note: September is Suicide Prevention Month. If you or anyone you know needs help, please call the Georgia Crisis Access Line at 1-800-715-4225.
With suicide on the rise across the state of Georgia - and with the Hall County rate outpacing the statewide and national rates - the Flowery Branch Police Department is sponsoring a day-long workshop on suicide intervention for local law enforcement.
Listen Learn Lead, better known as L3, is a suicide intervention model developed by Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Kenneth Koon. Koon will facilitate the workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at Flowery Branch City Hall.
Flowery Branch Police Chief David Spillers invited Koon to conduct the workshop after attending the Winter Conference of the Georgia Chiefs Association in February.
“L3 was the best training of the week at the Chiefs Conference and I knew this was a program that we needed to bring to our community," Spillers said in a press statement announcing the Sept. 19 event.
L3 teaches that suicide is a preventable loss and that the clear majority of individuals at risk can be saved when a caring person is willing to intervene.
"Intervention saves lives, but most people will never ask the one question that can save a life. Those that are trained do. Approximately 30% of the participants we train are law enforcement and we are thankful for the partnership with Flowery Branch Police Department in expanding training opportunities throughout north Georgia," Koon said.
Koon is the founder of Armed Forces Mission and has conducted more than 800 successful suicide interventions in both military and civilian communities.
Law enforcement personnel can register for the training by visiting AFM911.org. The training provides 5 hours of POST approved continuing education.
Listen to the accompanying interview with Koon and AccessWDUN's B.J. Williams to find out more about the conference and about suicide prevention.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/9/709653/flowery-branch-police-dept-offers-suicide-intervention-training-for-local-law-enforcement