Get it on Google Play

The Weight We Carry Breaking the Silence on Police Suicide

The Weight We Carry Breaking the Silence on Police Suicide

Author: Citizens Behind the Badge November 4, 2025 Duration: 35:51
Heroes Behind the Badge
NewsCultureGovernmentSocietySociety & Culture

Every year, more law enforcement officers die by suicide than from all line-of-duty causes combined.

In this powerful first part of a two-part conversation, Heroes Behind the Badge host Dennis Collins sits down with David Berez, Dave Howe, Bill Erfurth, and Craig Floyd to confront the silent epidemic of stress, trauma, and loss inside police culture.

They discuss why suicide remains the most painful taboo in law enforcement, what it means to carry invisible weight, and how small acts of connection and leadership can save lives.

This episode is not about statistics—it’s about the people behind them.

Guests:

  • David Berez (author, retired police lieutenant)
  • Dave Howe (U.S. Army Lt. Colonel, Comfort, Peace & Freedom Foundation)
  • Bill Erfurth (retired Miami-Dade detective, filmmaker)
  • Craig Floyd (Citizens Behind the Badge)

Topics include:

  • The true scope of suicide in law enforcement
  • How silence and stigma cost lives
  • Why awareness isn’t enough
  • The first steps toward real cultural change

Presented by: CitizensBehindTheBadge.org

Podcast Series: Heroes Behind the Badge


Timestamps:

  • 00:00 – Opening Story: The Final Call
  • 03:30 – The Hidden Numbers No One Mentions
  • 07:00 – Why This Conversation Matters
  • 14:40 – A Plan for a Joyful Life
  • 17:20 – Gratitude and the Grass Metaphor
  • 20:15 – From Trauma to Purpose


#HeroesBehindTheBadge #PoliceMentalHealth #LawEnforcement #OfficerWellness #FirstResponder #PoliceSuicideAwareness #BehindTheBadge #MentalHealthMatters #ThinBlueLine #FirstResponderSupport


Heroes Behind the Badge is a podcast that brings you the untold stories of America's law enforcement community, from the front lines to the final call. Guided by Craig Floyd, who spent 34 years working alongside police officers across the nation, and joined by veteran facilitator Dennis Collins and law enforcement expert Bill Erfurth, the show cuts through misconceptions and focuses on the real people behind the badge. In each episode, listeners can expect candid conversations, hard-earned insights, and powerful moments that highlight service, sacrifice, and the realities of the job. If you want to listen episodes that go beyond headlines and hear stories shaped by experience and respect, Heroes Behind the Badge by {author} offers a clear, grounded perspective on the law enforcement community.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Official website RSS
instagramyoutubelinkedin
Heroes Behind the Badge
Podcast Episodes
Bill Buford — He Owed It to the Men He Lost at Waco | Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:47
In Part 2 of this two-part conversation, retired ATF agent Bill Buford takes listeners back inside the gun room during the February 28, 1993 raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas. He walks through the exa…
Bill Buford — Surviving the Waco Raid as an ATF Agent | Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:00
Bill Buford spent nearly three decades in federal law enforcement, first as a Green Beret in Vietnam, then as a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 1993, he led the ATF Special…
Jim Freeman — Inside the Unabomber's Cabin | Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:49
Jim Freeman spent 32 years as an FBI Special Agent, rising to Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau's San Francisco field office. In the final two years of the 17-year hunt for the Unabomber, Freeman took direct control…
Jim Freeman - Leading the FBI's Hunt for the Unabomber | Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:37
Jim Freeman spent 32 years as an FBI Special Agent, rising to Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau's San Francisco field office. In the final two years of the 17-year hunt for the Unabomber, Freeman took direct control…

12345»