LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) —September is Suicide Prevention Month, and law enforcement agencies in Wilson County are shining a light on the topic.  

News 2 spoke with the Lebanon Police Department, which now sports semicolons on their vehicles and are helping to serve the public with a mental health co-responder program.   

“A lot of the cars in our department and law enforcement vehicles across our county are sporting these semicolons,” Zach Patton, Public Information Officer for the Lebanon Police Department, said.

Semicolons have been placed on the back of patrol cars from Lebanon to Mt. Juliet to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office. It's one way law enforcement agencies are bringing awareness to suicide prevention.

“In literature, a semicolon is where an author could end a sentence, but continues to continue on with that sentence and we can apply that in life," Patton said. "Whenever you feel like things are over, it's not. There are options."

Resources can be found in both Mt. Juliet and Lebanon — both police departments created their own mental health co-responder programs.   

“Sometimes you have to meet people where they are at in life when you respond to these calls, and this is one resource that allows us to serve in a different way," Patton said. 

The mental health co-responder works on calls with officers daily with a focus on mental health crisis calls.

“She's about used nearly every day — whether that be going to an in-person call or following up with someone over the phone," Patton said. 

Patton added that it’s become a crucial program in the department. He said when it comes to mental health, it's also important officers take care of themselves as well considering they see tragedy often.  

“You may have not been personally affected, but you've probably been indirectly affected by suicide in some form or fashion," Patton said. "A lot of our officers have in some way been affected, so that's why causes like this are near and dear to them.” 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/wilson-county-law-enforcement-semicolons/