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:
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.
A copy of this study can be obtained
from the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health.
For questions or a law enforcement copy of the study, contact
us at BadgeOfLife@yahoo.com
A full listing of all police suicides
in the United States by date,
circumstances and location during
2008 is available upon request for purpose
of study
verification and research. Contact
us in the event
a copy would be of value to you.
THE "WHY" QUESTION
by Andy O'Hara
Badge of Life
With the NSOPS study, we demonstrated that determining a reliable,
verifiable number of police suicides each year (130 - 150) is achievable. The most important question remains
"WHY?" Not a single suicide in 2008 was attributed to the stresses and traumas of the job--even though officers and
administrators are unanimous in saying it's a stressful and traumatic job.
Not one.
We talk about what a truamatic and stressful job law enforcement
is. If an officer is holding a gun to his head and has a history of work-related trauma, we retire him on a disability
pension. If that same officer pulls the trigger, we shame him and his family and leave them with nothing. We call
him a coward.
The only things being blamed after a suicide are families,
personal problems, and "amazement" that it even happened.
We have elected to simplify the task and, instead, put
the onus on police agencies--in a positive manner. We have put a new category of law enforcement death into the arena,
called "Line of Duty Suicides." This is the first step in recognizing that some (not all) suicides are due to the stresses
and traumas of the job.
Our continued tracking of police suicides into 2010 will focus
on the question of how many suicides departments will acknowledge as work related. If police work is so stressful and
traumatic, surely there is one case of suicide that is work related. Perhaps it is impossible for police work to lead
someone to suicide. We will be watching.
www.BadgeOfLife.com
(916) 993-9939