| POLICE SUICIDES Twice as many police officers die from suicides as from "line of duty" homicides. (plus many police suicides are misclassified as accidents - more on this later.) Police suicide rates in the US are double those of the general population, but are roughly similar to those of similar demographics (white, male, 25-55). Most police suicides are gun-related (90%+) and alcohol-related (large majority); the highest rates are officers in their 30s; most suicides occur around holidays. Most police receive little or no training related to suicide risks and factors (but much more training related to line of duty homicide risk). Women officers are more likely to attempt suicide but men are more likely to succeed (men use guns, women use other means that are less lethal). Context (theories): Police culture emphasizes control and "totemization" of guns. Many officers by their 30s (10 to 15 years into careers) see control of their lives slipping away (lack of career advancement, financial problems, marriage/family problems, and/or facing disciplinary or criminal charges). Police culture stories (anecdotes) Many police traditionally carried "throwaways" (confiscated guns) to plant on "suspects" who had been shot (either intentionally or unintentionally) "against policy." Some of the research on police suicides found that some detectives carried gun cleaning kits in their cars to plant at the scene of police suicides so they would be misclassified as accidents (so the families could collect insurance and avoid the embarrassment of a suicide in the family). |