Police Suicide and Small Departments: A Survey (From Suicide and Law Enforcement, P 417-430, 2001, Donald C. Sheehan and Janet I. Warren, eds. -- See NCJ-193528)

• NCJ Number: 193565
• Author(s): Michael A. Campion
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 14 pages
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey; Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: A paper submitted to the Suicide and Law Enforcement Conference, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA, September 1999.

Annotation

This study collected and analyzed data on officer suicides in 150 small (under 292 officers) police and sheriff departments in Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota.

Abstract

A total of 89 questionnaires were completed and returned. Nine suicides from a population of 3,736 officers in the 89 departments were reported during the years of 1980 to 1998. There was a 0.0004 percent yearly average difference between the police suicides and suicides in the general population. In addition to the number of officer suicides, the questionnaire asked respondents whether ready access to firearms contributed to police suicide. Four percent of the respondents "strongly agreed" that carrying or having ready access to weapons had an effect on officer suicide. Thirty-three percent "agreed" and 26 percent "somewhat agreed." This is probably not a significant issue, since dentists, doctors, and entrepreneurs, none of whom carry guns in their work, have higher suicide rates than police officers. All of the respondents either "strongly agreed," "somewhat agreed," or "agreed" that personal stress was a major contributor to officer suicide. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents believed personal mental illness to be a significant problem that contributed to police suicide. Other factors mentioned were conflicts off the job, traumatic job stress, alcohol abuse, and personal problems. In response to a question regarding the suppression of data on police officer suicides, all respondents denied that this was a practice in their departments. Apparently, the departments surveyed were effectively dealing with the problem of police suicide, since 80 out of the 89 departments had no suicides in the last 19 years. The rate was also less than that of the general population. The low police suicide rate may be due to the selection process, which includes psychological testing and probation throughout the police academy and field training. Continued training, employee assistance programs, and critical incident debriefing also enhance officer stress management and resistance. 4 tables