Nebraska Working to Prevent Suicide and Mass Casualty Events with Two Lifelines

This week, KLKN-TV Lincoln spoke to University of Nebraska Public Policy Center director Dr. Mario Scalora and Lt. Monty Lovelace of Nebraska State Patrol about how Nebraska is working to prevent suicides and mass casualty events before they happen with Safe2Help Nebraska and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Dr. Scalora is a professor of psychology at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is director of the UNL's Targeted Violence Research Team, which applies behavioral science principles to the detection, assessment, and management of targeted violence. Lieutenant Monty Lovelace is director of the Nebraska State Patrol Nebraska Information Analysis Center (NIAC), which provides an avenue "for all state law enforcement agencies and participating private partners to receive, validate, analyze, and disseminate intelligence information for all crimes and all hazards." 

With the launch of 988 in July of 2022, Nebraskans can now call or text 988 for a direct connection to trained, compassionate, accessible care and support for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress or thoughts of suicide. Safe2Help Nebraska is a school-related tip management system that allows students, parents, and community members around Nebraska to anonymously and securely report safety concerns to the appropriate school, law enforcement agency, or crisis counselor. By providing an avenue to report harmful, dangerous, or violent activity that might be directed at schools, students, or staff members, or the threat of these activities, Safe2Help Nebraska aims to keep schools safer around the state. 

See the Full Story