State honors Suffolk cop for suicide-prevention efforts

A Suffolk County police officer will be honored by New York State for his efforts in suicide prevention, the department said Wednesday.

Fifth Precinct Officer Philip Schoppmann is one of four recipients slated to receive the Excellence in Suicide Prevention Award presented by the Suicide Prevention Center of New York State later this month, the police department said in a news release.

Schoppmann is credited with creating and coordinating a team of trainers called Trainers United on Long Island for the Prevention of Suicide, or TULIPS, the department said. The team has four trainers, including Schoppmann, and includes social workers, state employees and a marriage and family therapist. In the past few months, 650 members of the community have been certified by the team with skills in suicide prevention and intervention.

With funding from the Mental Health Association of New York State, the police department said Schoppmann developed a safety plan of action to work with suicidal people. He also helped create and coordinate the peer support team for the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, which represents Suffolk police officers.

The awards ceremony is scheduled at the fifth annual Suicide Prevention Center of New York awards banquet on Sept. 16.

National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 7-13, and World Suicide Prevention Day is Sept. 10.