Attorney General Weiser announces new suicide and violence prevention trainings for families, community members, and educators

June 3, 2026 (DENVER) — Attorney General Phil Weiser today announced new free, virtual trainings designed to help Colorado families, community members, and educators recognize warning signs of suicide and violence and better understand prevention tools, including Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law. The trainings are being launched as Colorado continues to face one of the nation’s highest suicide rates and ongoing challenges related to firearm violence.

“Violence and suicide are often preventable when people know the warning signs and understand the tools available to help,” said Attorney General Weiser. “Whether it’s a parent concerned about a loved one, a community member worried about someone in crisis, or an educator supporting a student, these trainings provide practical information that can help save lives. By helping people recognize warning signs and take action early, we can help prevent acts of violence, support people in crisis, and build safer communities across Colorado.”

New training for families and community members

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office’s new ERPO training for family and community members is designed for people who may be in a position to recognize warning signs that someone is at risk of harming themselves or others.

The training is particularly relevant for family and household members who are eligible to petition for an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO, under Colorado law and helps participants understand warning signs associated with suicide and firearm violence risk, when an ERPO may be appropriate, and how the ERPO process works.

New training for educators

The office is also launching a new teen dating violence prevention training for educators that helps school personnel recognize signs of teen dating violence, understand its impact on student safety and wellbeing, and identify appropriate intervention and support resources.

The training builds upon the ERPO curriculum for educators released by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office in 2025. Developed in partnership with Safe2Tell Colorado, that curriculum includes separate learning tracks for K-12 educators and higher education professionals and focuses on helping educators understand how ERPOs can help prevent school violence and student suicide.

The new teen dating violence training expands the office’s violence prevention resources for educators by addressing another significant risk factor affecting Colorado students.

What is an Extreme Risk Protection Order?

An Extreme Risk Protection Order, sometimes referred to as a “red flag law,” is a civil court order that temporarily prevents a person who poses a significant risk to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing firearms.

In Colorado, eligible family and household members, educators, licensed health care professionals, and law enforcement officers may petition a court for an ERPO when someone poses a significant risk of causing harm to themselves or others.

ERPOs are designed to create time and space for intervention during a crisis while protecting due process rights through judicial review.

Why early intervention matters

The trainings draw on research related to suicide prevention, domestic violence, and firearm violence to help participants better understand risk factors and intervention opportunities.

Warning signs often appear before mass shootings, a suicide, act of interpersonal violence, or other crises. Family members, educators, health care professionals, law enforcement officers, and others are often in a position to recognize when someone may be at risk.

Colorado has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, and firearms are involved in more than half of all suicides in the state. When a firearm is used in a suicide attempt, the attempt is fatal approximately 90% of the time. Research highlighted in the trainings has found that for every 10 to 20 ERPOs issued, at least one life is saved.

Early intervention can also help prevent other forms of violence. The trainings highlight research showing that when an abusive partner has access to a firearm, the risk of homicide increases five to seven times, and that nearly half of all mass shootings in the United States are connected to domestic violence.

Building a safer Colorado

In addition to these public and educator trainings, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office continues to offer in-person ERPO training for law enforcement agencies across the state. Together, these resources help equip families, educators, health care professionals, and law enforcement with tools to recognize risk and intervene before a crisis escalates.

Access the new trainings

The trainings are available free of charge through the Colorado Attorney General’s Office:

To learn more about violence prevention resources and training opportunities, visit coag.gov/violence-prevention-trainings-and-resources.

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Media Contact:
Mallory Boyce
Communications Specialist
720-219-1898 (cell)
mallory.boyce@coag.gov