LA County Sheriff's Department Faces Crisis of Deputy Suicides, Family Calls for Action

A Personal Tragedy and a Wider Crisis

• 💔 Eliza Vera, a former detective, speaks out following the suicide of her daughter, Deputy Nicole Otis Santos, who died by suicide on June 2nd, 2023.
• 😔 Nicole's death, just six months into her marriage and during her first trimester of pregnancy, has left a profound void in her family.
• 📣 Eliza and her husband, retired LASD Chief Eli Vera, are using their personal tragedy to advocate for change within the department.

Alarming Trend in Deputy Suicides

• 📈 The Veras reveal a shocking statistic: 13 LA County Sheriff's Department deputies have died by suicide in the past two years, including two recent retirees.
• ⚠️ This rate is unprecedented, with Eli Vera stating, "Our 34 years in law enforcement, we never have seen anything to this level. And it's not getting better."
• 📞 Deputies have confided in the Veras, citing a lack of support and relentless mandatory shifts as major contributing factors.

Proposed Reforms for Support and Well-being

• 🚫 The Veras are urgently calling for an end to back-to-back mandatory shifts, which they believe lead to exhaustion and burnout.
• 🤝 Eli Vera proposes annual one-on-one meetings between supervisors and personnel to foster trust and strengthen relationships.
• 🗣️ He emphasizes the importance of supervisors knowing their team members' personal lives, including family situations, to better support them.

A Plea for Action

• 🚨 While acknowledging law enforcement suicide as a national crisis, the Veras insist the number of lives lost within the LASD is unacceptably high.
• ❓ They question when the department will consider the current numbers "enough" to warrant significant intervention.
• 🙏 The Veras are prepared to assist the department in any way possible, hoping for concrete steps to prevent further tragedies and save lives.