Project R.E.A.C.H.

The Transgender Community of Police & Sheriffs, better known as TCOPS International and the University of Southern California, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, have been exploring the need for a crisis hotline/ suicide prevention line focused on the LGBTQI+ First Responder Community.  This project began in 2022 and involved a problem statement, a needs assessment, and more recently a project scope & viability statement.

TCOPS has found that there are ongoing concerns with our members who are in crisis, contacting LGBTQI+-centric hotline organizations, and being dissuaded or outright denied access to critical emergency/ crisis resources.  Some of the interactions became hostile when the caller identified themselves as law enforcement.  This was the specific case with the Trans* Hotline, a dedicated crisis hotline for transgender people.  Similarly, TCOPS members and other LGBTQI+ law enforcement community members experienced stressful interactions with law enforcement related crisis hotlines.  Most of these seemed to be issues of the lack of cultural competence, but also disdain and indifference from faith-based hotline & crisis line organizations.

Anti-police attitudes held over the past decade; especially after the murder of George Floyd, seem to be an obstacle with the LGBTQI+ organizations and their call-takers.   The political climate is not helpful for much of the country. Homophobia and transphobia seem to be the underlying feelings that callers from the trans* law enforcement community have experienced when trying to access law enforcement-oriented crisis hotline services.  Both types of organizations seem disinclined to provide critical mental health, especially crisis services to our community.

During our exploration into this conundrum, we found that there are no similar services for queer First Responders in the FIRE Service, EMS Service, Search & Rescue Teams, or the military.  We focused upon the United States for this research.

To that end, TCOPS has had contact with several mental health providers from around the United States, who are either from the LGBTQI+ law enforcement community or are LGBTQI+ and L.E. friendly, for various other projects.   We are seeking partnerships and/ or resources from these mental health professionals and their organizations and companies to assist First Responders from the LGBTQI+ Community.

We plan to seek grants and private funding to start up, train call-takers, purchase office and call infrastructure, and maintain a crisis hotline for active, retired, and former LGBTQI+ First Responders.  Our working organizational name is the acronym R.E.A.C.H., which stands for Rainbow Emergency Aid & Crisis Hotline. Our hope is to make this a stand-alone entity, incorporated as a non-profit public service crisis hotline providing suicide prevention services.

Our business line (Not CRISIS LINE) is 775-980-5364 and our email is [email protected].