Psychological Effects of Suicide by Cop on Involved Officers (From Suicide and Law Enforcement, P 627-636, 2001, Donald C. Sheehan and Janet I. Warren, eds. -- See NCJ-193528)

• NCJ Number: 193582
• Author(s): J. Nick Marzella
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• 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 article provides insights into how police officers cope with both the short-term and long-term psychological effects of "suicide-by-cop" (SBC), which involves a subject threatening an officer with potentially lethal harm such that the officer is forced to shoot him/her.

Abstract

Seven cases studies are presented. They include brief descriptions of the SBC incidents and descriptions of the short-term and long-term psychological effects on officers who fired the shots that killed the subjects. The short-term effects of the SBC seemed to involve the same psychological sequela experienced by officers involved in most critical incidents. This includes replaying the event repeatedly, disruption of sleep, feelings of irritability, detachment, being hyper-critical, sensory disturbance, and hyper-vigilance. The most dominant emotion experienced by the officers was anger toward the subject for controlling the situation and forcing the officer to use deadly force. Some long-term effects were feelings of vulnerability, being more protective of family, and being less trusting of the general public. Over half of the officers interviewed seriously considered retiring or quitting the department. Often these thoughts were reinforced by family members, who experienced intensified fears of their loved one being killed in the line of duty. Officers reported that psychological debriefing was particularly important in helping them through the impact of the SBC incident.