NCJ Number
193577
Date Published
2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article examines issues in addressing the psychological needs of police officers who have been involved in an apparent incident in which a person forces an officer to shoot him or her as a means of committing suicide ("suicide-by-cop").
Abstract
Circumstances after the fact that can identify suicide-by-cop (SBC) are sometimes obvious, such as the wielding of a toy gun or weapon; the leaving of a suicide note; comments made to an officer during the incident; comments by the family or during a 911 call; and the use of threatening and aggressive behavior toward police that shows a reckless disregard for self-preservation. SBC victimizes the involved police officer by forcing him or her to become an unwilling partner in the crime of suicide. A police officer can be helped in resolving such victimization by being prepared through training to believe that self-defense against violence (real or otherwise) is a reason for killing another person, regardless of the person's intent in threatening imminent harm to the officer or another person. For an officer involved in a SBC incident, counseling should be provided for both the officer and his/her family, so as to ensure that the officer's psychological distress will not impair family interaction. Further, the officer must be helped to grieve but without guilt, since guilt can be the poison that can prolong and intensify dysfunctional mental states that increase the risk for suicide. The training of officers to be aware of the existence of SBC should not impede an officer's prompt decision to shoot a person perceived by the officer to be an imminent threat to himself/herself or to others. 2 attachments