The Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed legislation June 11 to give death benefits to the families of police officers and other first responders whose suicides were linked to on-the-job trauma.
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The measure passed just weeks after The Trace reported on local families who’d lost pensions, health insurance, and other benefits after the suicide of a loved one. Once the bill becomes law, it will make Philadelphia one of the few places in the country that classifies first responder suicides as in-the-line-of-duty deaths.
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The bill pitted the majority-Democratic Council against Mayor Cherelle Parker, a fellow Democrat whose administration opposed the measure at least partly because of concerns about its cost. While Council has enough votes to override a veto, Parker declined to say whether she would sign the measure. “On that legislation, I have to talk to my finance team along with my research team,” the mayor told The Trace.
The city estimates that the average cost to pay a claim stemming from the suicide of a married police officer with two minor children would be nearly $1.7 million. Eight Philadelphia police officers died by suicide between 2021 and 2023, according to Police Departament data. There have been no officer suicides since 2023.
Councilmembers and suicide survivors said financial concerns do not outweigh the need to help the families of first responders, who are often exposed to traumatic incidents that can damage their mental health.
“You have individuals who are first responders who suffer from trauma because they see kids with their brains blown out. They come onto the scene and see people who’ve been murdered,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said. “That’s a lot of trauma that a person has to deal with over and over.”
The new law will allow surviving family members to receive lifetime pension benefits. To qualify, the first responder who died by suicide must have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder related to a traumatic event experienced in the line of duty, or have died within 45 days of such an event. The law will apply to uniformed members of the Fire and Police departments as well as members of the District Attorney’s Office whose suicides occurred on or after July 1, 2016.
Councilmembers and suicide survivors said financial concerns do not outweigh the need to help the families of first responders, who are often exposed to traumatic incidents that can damage their mental health.
“If you die in a car crash, you get that money. But if you are at home suffering from post traumatic stress from all of those years and you commit suicide, that’s an occupational hazard too,” said Councilmember Curtis Jones, who introduced the bill.
Suicide survivors praised the measure. “It’s a huge win for someone like me who’s been trying so hard to fight for this,” said Regan Falk, whose husband, Kevin Regan, 30, died by suicide in 2022 after eight years as a Philadelphia officer. “It gives me hope for all of the families that have been affected by suicide and mental health within the first responder community.”
“The voices of the families have finally, really been heard,” said Emily Chau Gray, whose husband, Bryan Gray, a 36-year-old Pennsylvania state trooper, died by suicide two years ago.
Gray testified in support of Philadelphia’s bill even though she would not qualify for benefits because her husband was not a city employee. After her husband’s death, Gray also began lobbying state lawmakers to provide death benefits to survivors of first responder suicide across Pennsylvania. Her efforts resulted in state legislation named for her husband, Bryan’s Law, which is now being considered by both the House and the Senate. Gray believes Philadelphia’s passage of a similar bill will help build momentum in the state Legislature.
“Any progress is progress,” she said. “I’m very proud of the work that I advocated for, and that the Philadelphia City Council has passed it unanimously.”
During a June 3 meeting of the Council’s Finance Committee, the city’s risk manager, Sharolyn Murphy, testified that Parker’s administration opposed the bill because it would rather put the money toward prevention programs. She even suggested that the law could encourage suicide by providing a generous benefit, straining the pension fund.
Councilmember Rue Landau sharply criticized the administration’s focus on cost. “What we’re asking for is to have these benefits go to survivors,” Landau said. “These are death benefits, and you are now parsing out acceptable types of death and unacceptable types of death, and I find that outrageous.”
Committee Chair Katherine Gilmore Richardson apologized to those viewing the hearing online and on TV, saying Murphy’s testimony might have been traumatic. “Many of us in this room have lost loved ones to this very issue,” she said. “Obviously, we all want to do all that we can from a prevention standpoint, but that does not always happen.”
The Council voted 17-0 to pass the measure.
Mensah Dean is a staff writer at The Trace. Previously he was a staff writer on the Justice & Injustice team at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he focused on gun violence, corruption and wrongdoing in the public and private sectors for five years. Mensah also covered criminal courts, public schools and city government for the Philadelphia Daily News, The Inquirer’s sister publication.
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