Riewestahl: mental health fund will boost awareness
Apr. 29—EAU CLAIRE — Eau Claire County Sheriff Dave Riewestahl took office in circumstances no one expected. The department was reeling from the September death of Sheriff Ron Cramer.
Cramer's death, which came just months before his retirement, was a shock to the community and to the law enforcement personnel he worked with for decades. News that he had died by suicide compounded the pain.
Officials walked a fine line in the weeks after Cramer died. Yes, it was important to let people know the truth. It was also important to avoid sensationalizing anything. There was another question for those in leadership: how could they work to help others who might be feeling the same desperation?
What emerged out of discussions in the closing months of 2022 is the fund announced last week to ensure law enforcement personnel don't face financial obstacles to getting help when they need it.
"One of our goals here with this fund is to bring awareness. It's ok [to seek help]," Riewestahl said. "How do we eliminate the financial barriers?"
The fund is administered by the Eau Claire Community Foundation. Sue Bornick, the foundation's executive director, said last week the foundation will take public donations and funnel them to officers and other law enforcement employees through the heads of the Eau Claire Police Department and Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department. The foundation won't know who the money is going to, only that someone needs a hand.
Riewestahl said the foundation "really took the lead" on establishing the fund. But he noted another critical element of support. Cramer's family backed the effort.
Law enforcement's approach to mental health has shifted in recent years. The longtime attitude of sucking it up and working no matter what is yielding to an awareness that officers and other personnel do a better job when their mental health is a priority. Riewestahl said part of that is driven by generational shifts, but departmental cultures have also played a role. When leadership makes mental health a priority, their departments follow.
Blue H.E.L.P. is one of the organizations trying to drive the changes. It tracks first responder deaths by suicide, helping to develop a clear picture of the issue.
Wisconsin has averaged about 3.6 law enforcement deaths by suicide per year since 2017, according to the organization's figures. And the cases show it's not just officers out on the beat at risk. Roles for the deceased ranged from 911 dispatchers to detectives and supervisors. That largely mirrors national trends, which show virtually any first responder at an elevated risk compared to the population as a whole.
The risk doesn't necessarily end at retirement, either. Two of the Wisconsin cases indicate the officers were retired from active service.
Riewestahl has seen his department work through members' responses to Cramer's death, something he said is a very individual process. People process their feelings "at different paces, different rates," he said.
The focus, though, is on helping in the future. The departments notified employees of the fund in March, said Riewestahl. He noted that public awareness of mental health in general can only help. Departments reflect their communities to a significant degree, since officer pools are largely drawn from local residents. If the general public is more accepting of the need to address mental health, that's one more barrier that comes down.
"We've still got a long way to go," Riewestahl said. "We still have to work as a community to reduce the stigma of mental illness."
Riewestahl compared responses to mental health crises and physical health issues. If someone has an acute crisis physically, a heart attack or other emergency, medical personnel respond. Mental health crises often draw law enforcement.
"Are we the best equipped to handle that? I would say we can be a start, but we need more than law enforcement," he said.
That kind of change hasn't happened yet, though. So the focus now is on supporting the officers, staff and other personnel in law enforcement. And the new fund is a step in that direction.
Donations can be made either through the fund's page on the Eau Claire Community Foundation website at eccfwi.org, or by check to the ECCF/Mental Health for Law Enforcement mailed to the foundation at 306 S. Barstow St., Suite 104, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
