Jaime Thompson
The New York Times
Originally published 8 May 25
Here is an excerpt:
American policing has paid much attention to the dangers faced in the line of duty, from shootouts to ambushes, but it has long neglected a greater threat to officers: themselves. More cops kill themselves every year than are killed by suspects. At least 184 public-safety officers die by suicide each year, according to First H.E.L.P., a nonprofit that has been collecting data on police suicide since 2016. An average of about 57 officers are killed by suspects every year, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After analyzing data on death certificates, Dr. John Violanti, a research professor at the University at Buffalo, concluded that law-enforcement officers are 54 percent more likely to die by suicide than the average American worker. A lack of good data, however, has thwarted researchers, who have struggled to reach consensus on the problem’s scope. Recognizing the problem, Congress passed a law in 2020 requiring the F.B.I. to collect data on police suicide, but reporting remains voluntary.
“Suicide is something you just didn’t talk about in law enforcement,” says Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). “It was shameful. It was weakness.” But a growing body of research has shown how chronic exposure to stress and trauma can impact the brain, causing impaired thinking, poor decision-making, a lack of empathy and difficulty distinguishing between real and perceived threats. Those were the very defects on display in the high-profile videos of police misconduct that looped across the country leading up to the killing of George Floyd by an officer in 2020. National outrage and widespread protests against the police were experienced as further stress by a force that already was, by many metrics, mentally and physically unwell. PERF now calls police suicide the “No. 1 officer-safety issue.”
Here are some thoughts:
Police officers unfortunately face a significantly elevated risk of suicide compared to the general population, a grim reality that tragically surpasses even the dangers they encounter in the line of duty. This heightened risk is often attributed to the cumulative impact of repeated exposure to traumatic events, which can lead to the development of mental health challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Sadly, some officers may turn to substance abuse as a way to cope with these intense emotional burdens, which can further compound their difficulties. Research indicates that the rates of depression among law enforcement officers are nearly twice that of the general public, highlighting the profound psychological toll of their profession. Compounding this issue is the cultural environment within law enforcement, which can often discourage officers from seeking help for mental health concerns due to the prevailing stigma and fears of being perceived as weak or unfit for their duties. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development and implementation of readily accessible and confidential mental health resources specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the law enforcement community. These resources should include peer support programs and trauma-informed care approaches to foster a culture of well-being and encourage officers to seek the support they deserve.
