A Study of Police Suicide in 2008-2009

NEW--2009 POLICE SUICIDE NUMBERS

We have just released our preliminary 2009 police suicide statistics. There were 143 police suicides in 2009, an increase from 2008 police suicides of 141.

There's no reason to exaggerate these numbers, as some feel inclined to do. The truth speaks for itself--we have a serious problem. Exaggerating the numbers "to get attention," in fact, is potentially harmful and can cost lives.

POLICE SUICIDE – A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY

OF 2008 NATIONAL DATA

Published in the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health

Andrew F. O'Hara, Badge of Life

John Violanti, PhD.

A source of considerable confusion in the law enforcement community has been the question of “how many” police suicides occur in a given calendar year. Attempts to fill this gap have given rise to a variety of speculative, often wildly exaggerated figures, none based on verifiable research or gathered in an organized, useful manner. Attempts to obtain a verifiable sampling of this data or even the most rudimentary validation have been futile, however.

Such figures have then been translated into wildly varying “rates” and “profiles” that, because they lack any basis in fact, do little to help and much to impede the meaningful development of programs that can address the problems of police stress, trauma, posttraumatic stress, suicide and the promotion of improved general health in the law enforcement community.

The National Surveillance of Police Suicide Study (NSOPS) was the first of its kind to study actual suicides on a daily basis across all 50 states for an entire year. This exhaustive study took place from January 1, 2008 until December 31, 2008, inclusive. The information gathered in the study goes beyond mere numbers and encompasses a range of other serious questions surrounding each suicide, including:

Date

Location

Department

Age

Rank

Time on the job

Means of suicide

Circumstances leading to the suicide

Emotional state of the officer prior to the event

Known trauma prior to the event

Statements by departments and medical examiners.

We established that 141 police suicides occurred during 2008. This figure is, not surprisingly, in concert with CDC/NOMS data, current research, and comparisons with groups such as the United States Army.

Highlights that you will find included in the study include:

Ages 35 - 39 are at highest risk of suicide.

Service time at highest risk was 10 - 14 years.

64% of suicides were "a surprise."

The NSOPS study includes state-by-state figures and information on each, the reasons potential suicides will continue to elude prevention/awareness programs, and the need for a re-focusing of efforts to self care rather than on the surveillance of others, such as occurs in QPR programs.

Given the present stage of research on police stress, it is likely that inaccuracies will continue to exist in the reporting of police suicide, including underreporting, misclassification, the lack of updated nationwide data, and difficulty associated with collecting data. NSOPS has demonstrated that such data can be collected with reasonable accuracy, however. Those with far greater monetary and staffing resources are encouraged to pursue this research further.

A copy of this study can be obtained from the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health.

2009 SUICIDES

The NSOPS study was repeated in 2009 in order to verify the results and methodology used. All variables, adjustments and error factors were applied in the same manner. This time, however, the number of suicide-related articles reviewed increased from 119,000 to approximately 200,000.

The results were remarkably similar, particularly in light of the increase of incoming data. A slight increase was noted in the number of police suicides, from 141 in 2008 to 143 in 2009.

In terms of other results, it appears that officers in the age category 40 – 44 years were at a higher risk for suicide, with 27% of all suicides found in this age group. This was a slight shift “upwards” from the previous year (age group 35 – 39). There was a similar shift up in the years of service, from the group 10 – 14 during 2008 to 20 years and above. Officers with less than ten years on the job continued to share a disproportionate portion of the suicides (17 percent).

Overall, the two years of NSOPS disproved the school of thought that maintains it is impossible to determine, with any degree of certainty, the number of police suicides taking place in the United States. NSOPS did not, by any means, provide an "exact" answer. Law enforcement agencies continue, in particular, to frustrate research and program development by refusing to acknowledge the causes of police suicides.

Certainly, more accurate data can be obtained by those with greater resources and money than Badge of Life. Our contribution was to show that it can be done, and done with a good degree of certitude. Rather than counting the beans and quibbling over percentages, we encourage you to do better.

www.BadgeOfLife.com