Joined by police leaders and bill sponsors, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Lieutenant Joseph Banish Mental Health Act into law on Dec. 18.
Responding to an increase in suicides and post-traumatic stress disorder among police officers, the bill will establish new confidentiality requirements for law enforcement during peer-to-peer counseling sessions. Named in memory of State Police Lt. Joseph Banish, who died by suicide in 2008, the legislation is intended to reduce the stigma associated with mental health among first responders while ensuring that counseling communications are protected.
“Protecting New York’s first responders and ensuring they are well-equipped with support to successfully fulfill their duties is an essential part of my public safety mission,” Hochul said in a statement. “Law enforcement officers who protect our communities during times of crisis deserve counseling services that are tailored to their unique experiences and conducted with discretion. By strengthening these programs, we are ensuring safe settings for honest conversations to improve the mental health and well-being of our first responders.”
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Judy Griffin and State Sen. James Skoufis, the bill passed both houses of the Legislature last June. “I was honored to carry this legislation to establish a formal peer-to-peer mental health program for our police,” Griffin said in a news release. “This bill is about supporting the men and women who protect us every day by ensuring that they have the mental health resources they need to effectively serve communities across the state.”
Suicide rates for police officers are more than 50 percent higher than the public at large, and the new law will provide them with confidential peer support counseling with trained police officers serving as support specialists.
“Police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, yet too often they do not receive the essential mental health support they need by nature of their profession,” Griffin stated “This can exact a toll, both professionally and personally.”
Throughout 2025, Hochul highlighted new resources to improve first responders’ mental health. They included a Responder Wellness Program Primer, intended to help public-safety agencies develop and enhance their wellness programs; a video on the unique mental health needs of first responders; and the launch of a new website, “Responder Wellness.”
“We ask law enforcement officers to show up on our worst days, and when their own trauma and grief in the aftermath of danger, violence, and even death goes unprocessed, it can exacerbate and disrupt all areas of life,” Skoufis said in a statement. “Giving officers support and resources from trusted colleagues with full confidentiality balances privacy with responsibility, and when officers receive the help they need, our communities are safer for it.”
The legislation comes after the state’s initial First Responder Mental Health Needs Assessment presented in Feb. 2025, which found that more than half of public safety workers experience high levels of stress, burnout and mental health challenges. The bill is intended to be a step toward reducing the risk for law enforcement officers across state.
“Police officers have three times more of a chance of dying by suicide than by getting killed on the job,” Thomas Shevlin, president of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, said in a news release. “We are human and witness things that no one should have to see, hear or smell, and we need to allow our brave officers the chance to get the help they need.”
For more information on the state’s Responder Wellness program, visit DHSES.NY.gov/Responder-Wellness.
