Police evaluate rash of officer suicides

[GreatLakes]

Police evaluate rash of officer suicides
"An estimated 450 officers kill themselves each year. That's triple the number killed in the line of duty each year."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...372/1003/rss36

[mciupa]

These stats are heart-breaking.
I can't imagine anyone feeling so hopeless that they favor the finality of death .

[GreatLakes]

Originally Posted by mciupa

These stats are heart-breaking.
I can't imagine anyone feeling so hopeless that they favor the finality of death .

I agree. I guess we should be very thankful we've never been pushed that far! But don't think for a minute it could never happen to you. I'm pretty certain most of them thought the same thing at one time. When they reach that point, I don't think it's a choice they consciously make. I think it's a self destruct mode that consumes them and negates any rational thinking.

I think being a police officer, or fireman without a doubt would be one of the most stressful, depressing, and thankless jobs ever! I know several, and I hear what they go though. Add to that, the high divorce rate associated with such careers. One might suggest they quit, and get into another line of work, but it isn't in their nature. They're doing what they believe they need to do, regardless of the toll it takes on them.

[Zaskar]

Good, better then being on the streets all depressed taking it out on the citizens. Their pay is depressing also. I made more then most cops when i was 19. Maybe that is why they have the doughnut diet, they get em free or steal them.

[DaveNF2G]

The headline makes it sound like this is a brand-new or newly escalated problem. The story indicates otherwise. So do published studies on police suicide - it's been going on for a long time, and there is no evidence of a new "rash" of suicides.

[I_10_92]

it is very sad. No matter who you are or what your profession is when someone takes their own life its difficult on the people who care and love for them. There are some cops who are cops because they enjoy what they do. Making the lives of citizens safer. Granted, some cops take their position for granted, and abuse their authority.. but that's only a small percentage.

Its a thankless job that is constantly under the public's microscope. I make it a point to when I'm dealing with Law Enforcement that I make them feel human, and thank them for their hard work.

Just my two cents..

[va113]

Originally Posted by Zaskar

Good, better then being on the streets all depressed taking it out on the citizens. Their pay is depressing also. I made more then most cops when i was 19. Maybe that is why they have the doughnut diet, they get em free or steal them.

You sir, are very foolish to take that kind of attitude. One day a member of your family may take their own life then you may come to appreciate what suicide does to the family of the deceased. Why don't you research the problem by checking the statistics and reading the stories of the men and women in law enforcement who take their own lives. You can start by going to this website.

http://www.tearsofacop.com

I also take exception to the analogy of "the doughnut diet" which is nothing more than garbage created by movies and television. I don't condone free meals, coffee and as you put it "the doughnut diet" because I for one know that these folks are in business to make money, so I pay for my meals and my coffee. But, If a merchant elects to give police and fire fighters free coffee or even a meal I think you'll find that they have had a long standing idea that this is a small way of saying thanks to the men and women who do this job. These merchants are not looking for anything in return and thats all the reason they have.

I was on traffic control duty one hot summer day a few years ago and a man stopped just off the intersection, got out of his car and when traffic slowed walked over and handed me two quart bottles of Gatorade. I didn't ask this man to bring me anything and I didn't expect anyone to bring me anything, but this man went out of his way to bring me some relief on a hot day. I thanked him and he smiled, but said nothing; he returned to his car and drove away. To this day I have no idea who he was, but I'll never forget his kindness.

Southland Corporation aka seven-eleven has had a policy of free coffee to police, fire fighters and EMS workers going back more than forty years. Why, because in the corporate mind they are helping to keep these men and women sharp to enable them to do the job. The cost is minimal, but the untold benefits are extremely important and thats how they look at their policy.

Police, fire fighters and EMS workers are all taken for granted and we expect that, but it sure is nice when a member of the public says thanks once in awhile. Just remember this when you call we come to help and that may include laying down our life for you or a member of your family.

[va113]

Originally Posted by DaveNF2G

The headline makes it sound like this is a brand-new or newly escalated problem. The story indicates otherwise. So do published studies on police suicide - it's been going on for a long time, and there is no evidence of a new "rash" of suicides.

Dave, I think this other article may have a different slant on things so here is the link to officer.com which sheds more light on the problem.

http://www.officer.com/article/artic...ion=1&id=34836

8 officers in eight months even for an agency the size of the CHP is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. That is nothing short of alarming and I grant to you that the problems theses people faced may be the same or is it? I think the emphasis placed on the problem is not only to get help to those who need it, but to dig deeper into the problem to find out what if anything has changed. What caused eight human beings to become so depressed that suicide was the only way out.

God help all of us.

[scanjunkie]

Originally Posted by va113

You sir, are very foolish to take that kind of attitude. One day a member of your family may take their own life then you may come to appreciate what suicide does to the family of the deceased. Why don't you research the problem by checking the statistics and reading the stories of the men and women in law enforcement who take their own lives. You can start by going to this website.

http://www.tearsofacop.com

I also take exception to the analogy of "the doughnut diet" which is nothing more than garbage created by movies and television. I don't condone free meals, coffee and as you put it "the doughnut diet" because I for one know that these folks are in business to make money, so I pay for my meals and my coffee. But, If a merchant elects to give police and fire fighters free coffee or even a meal I think you'll find that they have had a long standing idea that this is a small way of saying thanks to the men and women who do this job. These merchants are not looking for anything in return and thats all the reason they have.

I was on traffic control duty one hot summer day a few years ago and a man stopped just off the intersection, got out of his car and when traffic slowed walked over and handed me two quart bottles of Gatorade. I didn't ask this man to bring me anything and I didn't expect anyone to bring me anything, but this man went out of his way to bring me some relief on a hot day. I thanked him and he smiled, but said nothing; he returned to his car and drove away. To this day I have no idea who he was, but I'll never forget his kindness.

Southland Corporation aka seven-eleven has had a policy of free coffee to police, fire fighters and EMS workers going back more than forty years. Why, because in the corporate mind they are helping to keep these men and women sharp to enable them to do the job. The cost is minimal, but the untold benefits are extremely important and thats how they look at their policy.

Police, fire fighters and EMS workers are all taken for granted and we expect that, but it sure is nice when a member of the public says thanks once in awhile. Just remember this when you call we come to help and that may include laying down our life for you or a member of your family.

Amen, Brother....God Bless and stay safe!

[Mick]

It's all about nothing, a non story. Here's the Wall Street Journal's take on it:

"There may be some truth to this, but not very much. For USA Today and its sources have ignored the key factor behind police suicide rates: sex. The vast majority of policemen are men, and men are much more likely to commit suicide than women.

According to the most recent report by the National Center for Women in Policing (PDF, see page 2), a feminist group, as of 2001 "women represent only 11.2% of all sworn law enforcement personnel in the U.S." That means the remaining 88.8% are male.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (PDF, see page 238), the overall age-adjusted male suicide rate in 2002 was 18.4 per 100,000, while the female rate was just 4.2 per 100,000.

If we assume that the police are a representative sample of the population as a whole (apart from the sex disparity), we would expect a suicide rate of approximately 16.8 per 100,000, not much below the 18 per 100,000 that USA Today reports.

It turns out, though, that the overall nationwide suicide rate is skewed downward because it includes children and teenagers, who have a much lower propensity for suicide than adults. This effect is so pronounced that every age group over 20 has a higher-than-average suicide rate. In particular, the overall suicide rate for 25- to 44-year-old men was 22.2 per 100,000 in 2002, and for 45- to 64-year-old men it was 23.5 per 100,000.

It's possible that other factors are at work here, such as race (white men are far likelier to kill themselves than minority men, except for American Indians). But based on just these numbers, it seems clear that the suicide rate among police is not alarmingly high, and may even be lower than you'd expect among a population made up mostly of young and middle-aged men. Because USA Today's reporters and editors didn't bother thinking the numbers through, the paper ended up publishing a nonstory."

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/
BY JAMES TARANTO
Monday, February 12, 2007 2:02 p.m. EST

Originally Posted by va113

Dave, I think this other article may have a different slant on things so here is the link to officer.com which sheds more light on the problem.

http://www.officer.com/article/artic...ion=1&id=34836

8 officers in eight months even for an agency the size of the CHP is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. That is nothing short of alarming and I grant to you that the problems theses people faced may be the same or is it? I think the emphasis placed on the problem is not only to get help to those who need it, but to dig deeper into the problem to find out what if anything has changed. What caused eight human beings to become so depressed that suicide was the only way out.

God help all of us.

[RFsponge]

Originally Posted by Zaskar

Good, better then being on the streets all depressed taking it out on the citizens. Their pay is depressing also. I made more then most cops when i was 19. Maybe that is why they have the doughnut diet, they get em free or steal them.

Scanjunkie and Va113:

Do not waste your time trying to reason with this Zaskar guy. Reasonable, rational arguments do not interest him. He has an irrational hatred of police officers and should not be engaged. I offer as evidence this now closed thread:

http://www.radioreference.com/forums...ad.php?t=61704

So you don't have to wade through the sludge, here are just a couple of his highlights. Direct quotes from him. (editing of profanity mine):

"...i hate f***ing cops who stereotype or anyone else for that matter. If a cop has these thoughts, he should not be on the streets. Cops that stop people based on looks, should be shot in the face."

"...I wish racial profiling cops get shot in the face, head, heart. In other words, i wish they be killed while racial profiling. They are scum, worse then the criminals. Racial profiling cops do society a favor and KILL YOURSELF."

-----------------------------

My advice: Ignore him. I'm amazed RR lets him post. The reason some police officers might comtemplate suicide might be they have to repeatedly deal with people like him on a daily basis. He's not worth your time and energy responding to. Ignore. Do not engage.

This country would not be the greatest on Earth today or at anytime in the planet's entire history without the sacrifice and commitment of people like police officers. The efforts and courage they engage in everyday are very, very much appreciated.

Rob

[Zaskar]

Originally Posted by RFsponge

Scanjunkie and Va113:



My advice: Ignore him. I'm amazed RR lets him post. The reason some police officers might comtemplate suicide might be they have to repeatedly deal with people like him on a daily basis. He's not worth your time and energy responding to. Ignore. Do not engage.



Rob

Why for practicing my freedom of speech? For me to say i hate cops is no different then saying i hate Mc Donalds, or i hate jap cars and the people who buy them. It is my opinion and nobody has to agree or should be hurt by that. People who are hurt by someone else's opinion is weak. I hate crooked cops and the racial profiling cops. I think anyone in there right mind would agree, such person should not be on the police force and probably better off not in society. piss on crooked cops.

[SAR2401]

Originally Posted by Zaskar

...i hate jap cars and the people who buy them. ...I hate crooked cops and the racial profiling cops. ...

Gee, no racism there, huh?

[mfn002]

Originally Posted by Zaskar

Why for practicing my freedom of speech? For me to say i hate cops is no different then saying i hate Mc Donalds, or i hate jap cars and the people who buy them. It is my opinion and nobody has to agree or should be hurt by that. People who are hurt by someone else's opinion is weak. I hate crooked cops and the racial profiling cops. I think anyone in there right mind would agree, such person should not be on the police force and probably better off not in society. piss on crooked cops.

Zaskar, you are really screwed up. I'm not going into the race thing again, but it seems every time you open your mouth you manage to really tick off alot of people.

[Zaskar]

Originally Posted by SAR2401

Gee, no racism there, huh?

Because i don't like foreign made cars I'm a racist? I have no problem with foreign PEOPLE. Try and understand what you read.

[Zaskar]

Originally Posted by mfn002

Zaskar, you are really screwed up. I'm not going into the race thing again, but it seems every time you open your mouth you manage to really tick off alot of people.

Isnt there more worth while things to get mad at, other then of someones opinion? That is your problem, not mine.

MFITA.

[flyingwolf]

Originally Posted by SAR2401

Gee, no racism there, huh?

Last I checked the police were not a particular type of race, if you were talking about the jap cars statements he said he hates jap cars (jap being short for Japanese and used for any car made in Asia) and the people who buy them, being ANY person, regardless of race who buys them.

Racists, no, closed minded and bigoted, yes.

Zaskar,
Something tells me the computer your spilling your foul mouthed drivel on wasn't made in America.

[Zaskar]

Originally Posted by flyingwolf

Last I checked the police were not a particular type of race, if you were talking about the jap cars statements he said he hates jap cars (jap being short for Japanese and used for any car made in Asia) and the people who buy them, being ANY person, regardless of race who buys them.

Racists, no, closed minded and bigoted, yes.

Zaskar,
Something tells me the computer your spilling your foul mouthed drivel on wasn't made in America.

Neither was yours. Why cant people just leave it at i don't agree, rather then resorting to name calling if they don't ?

[w4rez]

Originally Posted by Zaskar

Neither was yours. Why cant people just leave it at i don't agree, rather then resorting to name calling if they don't ?

I think the point he was trying to make is that if you're going to hate everybody that buy and drive "Jap" cars, then hate yourself as well for using a "Jap" computer.

[flyingwolf]

Zaskar, I used the tactic known as "the pot calling the kettle black".

As w4rez pointed out if you hate people who buy foreign cars you must also hate yourself (that could explain your high anger level) for buying foreign made products.

I am not sure if this is true, but I would be willing to bet that the number of imported computer parts form Asian countries outnumbers car imports by a substantial amount.