Colorado family speaks out about mental health among first responders after Northglenn police officer dies by suicide

Ask any of 61-year-old Paul Gesi's children, and they would tell you, their father was more than just the badge on his uniform.

"My dad had a servant, hero heart," said Amanda Gesi, his eldest daughter.

"Our dad was an advocate for victims, for those who were struggling, and that I think is a legacy he'll leave with the police department and all of us," said Emily Gesi.

Detective Paul Gesi served as a police officer for 41 years, 39 of which were for the Northglenn Police Department.

The father of six was also a man of faith, which is something that bonded his family together.

"One of the biggest memories that all six of us kids have is every single day at 5:30 sharp, around that time, I would say 99% of the time he would come through the door yelling, 'Daddy's home,'" said Johnathan Gesi, Paul's son. "All six of us kids would run up giving him hugs, searching his pockets for toys and candy every single time."

When he would come home, he was just always happy and he always brought the light into any bad situation," said Madeline Gesi.

They did not realize how much Paul's life was struggling to push through a dark place.

"Within probably the past year we started to see it weighing on him heavier as he would come home. and then it really got 'bad' really within the past two months," said Emily. "We saw signs of anxiety and depression. (We) never saw our father bring work home, but a little bit towards the end he started to talk about it a little bit more, about how he was starting to feel the darkness that he has been dealing with in his 41 years of being an officer."

Paul died by suicide on Aug. 6 after a long battle with PTSD. Northglenn police tell CBS Colorado they found him at his home after performing a welfare check when he didn't respond to work calls.

Five out of his six children and Paul's three sons-in-law spoke out about Paul on Monday morning. They say they wanted to come together to share Paul's story and break down the stigma behind mental health.

"There needs to be a cultural shift in regards to telling the truth about where you're at," said Emily. "Not being afraid to lose your job, and also a shift in police officers' mentality that they are their badge. There are hundreds and thousands of cops, but there was only one Paul Gesi."

"It needs to be something that's talked about, it can't be hidden," said Officer Kelly Shelley with Northglenn PD.

Shelley says she worked closely with Paul. He was a mentor, and tenacious about fighting for his victims. He also handled the worst of the worst cases.

"It has to be a culture shift in our profession where it is normal to ask for help. It is normal to process things that happen that are traumatic and you shouldn't be ashamed of doing that," said Shelley. "At our agency, we are shifting our culture and have been very active in the last three years with our peer support. We've had peer support for a number of years, but within the last three years we've made things mandatory, like wellness visits and it's not a voluntary thing anymore."

Northglenn police say at least 50 police officers across the country have died by suicide so far this year. Shelley hopes they can continue break down the stigma and pave the way for future officers to feel comfortable coming forward.

While, Paul's family hope other people with loved ones who are struggling can help them through their darkest moments.

"Take it serious, check in more, encourage them to open up and talk to people, remind them that there is no shame in struggling," said Emily.