Laredo police report 4 suicide deaths, 44 emergency detentions in January; committee urges better follow-up for families

Assistant Chief Ricardo Gonzales told the City of Laredo Suicide Prevention Committee on Jan. 29 that Laredo Police Department data for January shows 14 attempted-suicide calls, 18 attempted-suicide reports, four deaths by suicide and 44 emergency detentions.

Sergeant Edybert Gallegos, supervisor of the department’s mental health evaluation outreach unit, gave the committee a case-by-case breakdown of several January incidents, including multiple gunshot deaths, a stabbing, and repeated responses to the same locations. Gallegos identified officers on his team and asked committee members to use his contact information for follow-up: Jacqueline Gallegos, Emerson Barbosa and Henri (last name not specified in the record).

The report prompted discussion about immediate needs for families who encounter a suicide scene. Julie Bassan, Executive Director of the Area Health Education Center and chair of the Suicide Prevention Committee, raised concerns after a case in which a 10-year-old allegedly found a deceased relative; she asked whether schools could be notified through a Handle With Care protocol so counselors can provide support. Bassan said, “When we have situations like that…we let them know so that they can obviously be considerate of the situation the child is going through and work with them.”

Committee members noted gaps in follow-up for families of suicide victims compared with homicide victims, which typically receive continued contact from investigators and access to state-backed services. Sergeant Gallegos described current practice: investigators secure the scene and pursue information, but he and others said there is often little ongoing outreach to families after the immediate investigation concludes.

Members agreed to explore concrete steps to close that gap. The committee asked staff to: update the resource/referral QR card to include school-district counseling contacts (LISD, UISD), coordinate with victim services to obtain addresses for follow-up, and examine establishing a local suicide-loss team combining clinicians and people with lived experience. Julie Bassan and Sergeant Gallegos volunteered to route the updated contact list to agencies and schools.

The committee also discussed the limits of releasing medical examiner material and other records to families; members said a procedural roadmap would help families seeking closure and told staff to compile available paths to obtain death certificates and medical reports.

The committee heard requests to track certain populations in future reports. A committee member asked whether veterans were included in the January totals; Gallegos agreed to try to identify veterans among cases for future reports so the group can coordinate with VA providers.

Ending: The committee assigned staff and volunteers to draft a follow-up protocol and to update the QR resource page; no formal policy or budget was adopted at the meeting.