POST FALLS - In 49 years of being a police officer or chaplain, Dan Lynch has never seen a spike in suicide threats like he has now.

"A few years ago, the word 'suicide' came up an average of 1.5 times per month," Lynch said.

This month alone Lynch and his three fellow volunteer chaplains for Post Falls Police's new suicide awareness program have responded to eight suicide-related cases.

Post Falls responded to 77 suicide-related calls last year compared to 37 in 2009. It is on track to respond to another record number this year.

Police and the chaplains attribute the spike to depression brought on by the recession, health and other issues.

"It is an unfortunate statistic," Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug said. "A couple recent folks were going through bankruptcy."

PFPD's suicide awareness program created in response to the demand is called "Hope for Everyone ... All the Time."

"In a response to the growing number of suicide threats, the department felt it is important to provide further assistance to these individuals," Haug said.

Under the program, a chaplain will attempt to make contact with either the person who has made suicidal threats or the family and friends of the person. A chaplain's role is not to diagnose, provide treatment or therapy, but to provide support and referrals to community resources.

"We try to help people realize there's always hope," Lynch said. "Sometimes, when a police officer responds, the situation is not serious enough to take them in custody, but they walk away worried about the person. We believe it's important at least for a chaplain to come in behind with support. You can't just drive away and pretend these things didn't happen."

Chaplains and members of PFPD's critical incident team are also available to make presentations to organizations on suicide awareness. The presentation addresses warning signs of suicide, myths of suicide, statistics and resources.

Haug said suicide is a problem that has caught the attention of other local and state organizations.

"A lot of different groups are stepping up to alleviate the problem," he said.

According to the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho (SPAN), the Coeur d'Alene area had 53 suicides in 2010, ranking it the top metro area in the state per capita.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Idahoans ages 15-34 and males age 10-14 behind accidents. One in seven high school youth in Idaho reported seriously considering suicide in 2009, according to SPAN.

PFPD is the only local law enforcement agency that has its own suicide awareness program.

For more information on the PFPD program, visit www.postfallspolice.com or contact a chaplain at 773-3517.