Des Moines Police Department Sergant Joe Morgan killed himself in his driveway on September 16, 2020. Morgan’s wife, Jennifer, was home at the time, the couple having had a quiet morning together, no signs to alarm the mother of two. The answers as to why Joe killed himself began to show themselves as Jennifer reflected and began to understand the heartbreaking reality within policing; more officers are lost to suicide than die in the line of duty each year, a staggering reality that Jennifer did not know till her husband’s death. The signs of compounding trauma from policing as well as signs of PTSD became more clear to Jennifer as the months passed and she dealt with a police culture that did not work to understand the mental pain and suffering that men and women who serve as first responders endure. Jennifer has dedicated herself to honoring her late husband by working to help others understand the burden constant traumatic events inflict on first responders and the mental health impacts those incidents have.
