Police Suicide: An Open Blog Post

Studies have shown that Police officer suicide rates are close to double that of the rest of the American population.

Here is the link for suicide statistics of 2010: 

http://www.badgeoflife.com/suicides.php

As you can see, the police suicide rate per 100,000 persons is significantly higher than that of the general population.

Suicide is a very touchy subject, and it becomes even more important to protect against it when we find that the rate increases for policemen and policewomen.

Police are subject to a line of work that requires them to work under stressful conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to:

-Use of lethal force

-Protection of the public

-Overwhelming amount of work

-Feeling that their work is insignificant

-Always being considered a role model figure

-Need to always stay calm

I would think that in areas where police are more exposed to this type of stress, the suicide rates increase.

I never knew that police struggled with suicide more than the general population. It does make me feel better to know that there are programs put in place to help police officers that are struggling with stress, depression, and suicide.

Works Cited

"THE BADGE OF LIFE." THE BADGE OF LIFE. Badgeoflife.com, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.