I am no psychiatriast, but something should be done.

[500grains]

I am no psychiatrist, but there must be some way to address this:


Nationally, twice as many cops - about 300 annually - commit suicide as are killed in the line of duty, according to a study by the National Association of Police Chiefs.

http://www.tearsofacop.com/police/articles/lewis.html

http://www.policesuicideprevention.com/index.html

[Entropy]

It's a thankless job 99% of the time, with a high risk of being sued, injured, or killed. There's an ole saying that "Everyone loves a firefighter, and everyone hates a cop"......often that rings true. The hours often make family life difficult, in not outright destroying it. About the only thing that makes the job worthwhile is the belief that you are doing some good for society. However, even then that hope is often crushed before your eyes as many activist judges have a tendency to throw out good cases left and right, and US attornies get lazy with prosecution and defect to the higher paying defense side of the law. Few officers have the patience, motivation, and fortitude to put forth a full and proactive career in crime fighting.

Two of the best motivators to keep cops going for the long haul are support at home from the family, and a heathy, consistant level of comradery and support at the department. Both of those things are attacked by the cost of doing business in police work, and often they are not addressed well enough by departments/agencies.

[montanadave]

One contributing factor to high suicide rates is the perception among one's peers that seeking assistance for psychological and/or emotional problems is a sign of weakness.

Doctors have the highest suicide rate by profession, in part due to the "physician, heal thyself" mentality which pervades their ranks.

Working around the the worst our society has to offer, the victims of same, the poorest, and the sickest is gonna wear even the strongest person down. Couple those circumstances with a reluctance to seek help when the sledding gets tough is a recipe for disaster.

I've always been curious about the absence of police officers in AA. I know it's a profession with a high incidence of substance abuse problems but I've never met a cop in an AA meeting. I can understand why active duty officers might be reluctant about attending meetings and running into folks they might have previously encountered in the course of their job, but I've also asked a couple of officers I know about "cops only" meetings and they didn't seem to have any knowledge of such a group, at least in our community.

[C-grunt]

You see a lot of shit. Stuff involving kids really gets to people.

Plus long and odd hours and stress isnt very good for the home life.

[kmrtnsn]

Recently written by a very dear friend.

http://100club.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/the-weight-of-the-badge/

The Weight of the Badge
By 100club

In times of tragedy, we find great friends. As many of you are aware on October 13th, 2008 I lost my husband Bruce Harrolle to a line of duty accident. There are many factors that surround that day, the people that supported us and others that acted behind the scenes.

When consumed by your own personal loss, you often times overlook the impact that the same loss may have had on others. On that very day 10/13/08, not long before we were notified of the accident, Mark Serna a colleague/friend/fellow DPS Air Rescue officer/paramedic was asked to do the unthinkable. He was asked to go to the side of Bear Mountain in Sedona, take photos of the scene, and retrieve my husband. I can’t even imagine what this may have been like for Mark. However, in true Mark fashion, he did what he was asked and he did it well. This was surely just one of the many traumas’ that faced Mark throughout his career.

Mark continued to be a part of our lives, an even closer friend than before the accident. Such tragedy makes a person stop and think, and put more value in a simple phone call. Mark would always call to check up on us to make sure that the kids and I were doing okay. I always looked forward to our conversations. He understood my need to know all of the pieces of the puzzle, so that I could process the accident the only way I knew how. Mark was always very strong; he never shed a tear, at least in front of me.

Mark was also part of the DPS Honor Guard, an activity that he took great pride in. There were many wonderful honor guard officers that were kind enough to take me on their arm, and walk my children and I through various services and/or memorials. There is nothing like a strong arm to guide you, when inside you may feel lost. It was always a feeling of comfort.

Those who knew Mark knew that everything had a place, he was extremely organized. He was a man that loved his three children and loved his work on the helicopter as well. Mark, like most people, has seen many challenges in his life but always persevered. He was the one that would be there for others.

On the anniversary of my husband’s death, Mark called to make sure that we were doing okay. He was one of the people that you knew would always honor Bruce’s memory. During that very phone call, he apologized profusely for not being part of the memorial hike in Bruce’s honor. He stated that he was on the East Coast attending the national EMS memorial, something he had always wanted to do. On the phone, Mark was notably upset. He asked me to text/send him a picture of the side of the mountain where Bruce lost his life. I did. That was the last conversation that I Mark and I had.

On October 19th, 2010, the strong, comforting man that has guided my family through the past two years, took his own life. I was shocked, as were many others. It just seemed impossible for a man who had overcome so much in his life, to make the choice that his life was not worth living.

When I came to the 100 Club of Arizona, I spent my first week in Suicide Awareness training. Despite this training, I never saw the signs and signals that people say that people in crisis give off. I’ve spent the past three months developing a program surrounding Awareness of Public Safety Suicide. I recognize that this is an important topic that we need to address, but now it is personal.

An officer takes his own life every 17 hours here in the United States. According to the National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation, an officer is three times more likely to die of their own hand than to be killed in the line of duty. Phoenix Fire Department has lost four firefighters to suicide in a seven month period. This is an epidemic that can only be addressed through making our communities aware of the daily stresses that face those that seem to be unbreakable. Behind the badge, you will find people, real people. These people are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. We need not forget that the badge doesn’t shield personal traumas.

In Memory of DPS Officer/Paramedic Mark Serna.

[cop1211]

It's a thankless job 99% of the time, with a high risk of being sued, injured, or killed. There's an ole saying that "Everyone loves a firefighter, and everyone hates a cop"......often that rings true. The hours often make family life difficult, in not outright destroying it. About the only thing that makes the job worthwhile is the belief that you are doing some good for society. However, even then that hope is often crushed before your eyes as many activist judges have a tendency to throw out good cases left and right, and US attornies get lazy with prosecution and defect to the higher paying defense side of the law. Few officers have the patience, motivation, and fortitude to put forth a full and proactive career in crime fighting.

Two of the best motivators to keep cops going for the long haul are support at home from the family, and a heathy, consistant level of comradery and support at the department. Both of those things are attacked by the cost of doing business in police work, and often they are not addressed well enough by departments/agencies.

Excellent post.

[ryan]

Its only a thankless job when good citizens dont thank them and show that they appreciate the job they do whenever they get the chance. Thank you guys.