Suicide by police: a proposed typology of law enforcement officer-assisted suicide (original) (raw)

Law Enforcement-Assisted Suicide

Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2000

This study describes historical, personality, behavioral, and situational factors of law enforcement-assisted suicides, which are also known as suicide-by-cop (SbC) subjects. These factors were then used to compare differences between SbC subjects who successfully forced officers to shoot them and those subjects who were unsuccessful. SbC subjects appear to share several risk factors with other suicide victims. This study detected some differences in the characteristics of the SbC subjects who were successful in forcing the officers to intervene with lethal force and those who were not. Substance abuse, previous suicide attempts, stressful life events, length of residency in the location of the incident, and homicidal conversation during the SbC incident did have weak relationships with the outcome of the incident.

Law Enforcement Suicide : Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Is suicide among law enforcement professionals a problem? Various sources report 300 completed police suicides annually.1 Other sources report that a law enforcement officer (LEO) is more likely to die by suicide than by homicide.2 However, these numbers and statistics are extremely difficult to support. Although the exact number of LEOs who take their own lives every year might not be available, it is clear that even a single incident is devastating. Each peace officer who completes suicide leaves behind family, partners, supervisors, friends, and organizations that are highly impacted by the officer's death. The authors believe that suicide among law enforcement is a significant problem.

Real and perceived danger in police officer assisted suicide

Journal of Criminal Justice, 2000

In order to determine the danger involved, 123 cases of police officer assisted suicide were collected from various sources and the contents analyzed. In 56 percent of the incidents, police or bystanders were threatened with lethal force, and in 22 percent an intermediate level of threat was present. In the remaining 22 percent of the cases there was no real danger, with the subject using an empty gun or a prop. These nondangerous incidents were typically perceived as more dangerous, and resulted in a slightly higher percentage of subjects being killed by police. The only variable that distinguished the nondangerous incidents-prior planning by the subjects-was unlikely to be useful for guiding police tactics in an actual situations.

Suicide by Cop Among Officer-Involved Shooting Cases

Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2009

The frequency and characteristics of suicide by cop cases (SBC) among a large (n = 707) nonrandom sample of North American officer-involved shootings (OIS) were investigated. ''Suicide by cop'' is when a subject engages in behavior which poses an apparent risk of serious injury or death, with the intent to precipitate the use of deadly force by law enforcement against the subject. Thirty-six percent of the OIS in this sample were found to be SBC with high interrater agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93) for category classification. SBC cases were more likely to result in the death or injury of the subjects than regular OIS cases. Most SBC cases were spontaneous, but had clear verbal and behavioral indicators that occurred prior to, and during the event. Findings confirm the trend detected in earlier research that there was a growing incidence of SBC among OIS. SBC individuals had a high likelihood of possessing a weapon (80%), which was a firearm 60% of the time. Half of those with a firearm discharged it at the police during the encounter. Nineteen percent simulated weapon possession to accomplish their suicidal intent. Other findings highlight the histories and commonalities in this high risk group.

Police suicide in small departments: a comparative analysis

International journal of emergency mental health, 2012

The majority of police suicide research has focused on larger police departments. Very little research has been done within small departments. The present study compared suicide rates between small and larger police departments. Two Hundred ninty-eight departments were drawn from the U.S. Public Safety Officer Benefits database totaling 119,624 officers. Annual suicide rates were calculated per 100,000 for each of four category (by size of department) and p-values from Chi-square tests were employed to assess differences in rates across categories. The annual suicide rate varied significantly across departments. Smaller police departments had a significantly higher suicide rate than large departments. Possible reasons include lack of availability for mental health assistance, increased workload and danger and community visibility.

Police suicide: prevalence, risk, and protective factors

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 2013

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to explore risk and protective factors associated with suicidal ideation among law enforcement personnel. Design/methodology/approach-The methodology employed is based on the "Best Evidence Synthesis" approach, whereby researchers systematically examine and integrate the most empirically sound available research on the topic under investigation. Findings-Results of studies showed that the interaction of multiple risk factors had a cumulative effect in increasing the risk for suicidal ideation. In total, five prominent aspects of policing were associated with risk for suicidal ideation: organizational stress; critical incident trauma; shift work; relationship problems; and alcohol use and abuse. Studies also indicated that protective factors and preventative measures had stress-buffering effects which decreased the impact of police stressors. Research limitations/implications-The model is limited because few studies have employed methodologically-sound research designs to test risk and protective factors related to police suicide. This conceptual overview may facilitate theory development and provide directions for future research. Practical implications-Law enforcement agencies which implement programs that assist police personnel in developing active coping styles, identify and access available social support systems, as well as utilize community-based services may decrease risk for suicidal ideation. This review provides practical applications for law enforcement training, education, and program development. Originality/value-The paper represents the most recent review of risk and protective factors related to suicidal ideation among police personnel. This integration of research provides police practitioners with an evidence-based ecological framework that can be applied universally in police management settings.

Suicide Exposure in Law Enforcement Officers

To examine occupational and personal suicide exposure among Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) and related mental health outcomes. Methods: Law Enforcement Officers (N = 813) completed an online survey about their suicide exposure, whether scenes stayed with them, and current symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Results: Almost all participants (95%) had responded to at least one suicide scene with an average of 30.90 (SD = 57.28) career suicide scenes and 2.17 in the last year (SD = 4.11). One in five (22%) reported a scene that they cannot shake or have nightmares about, and 42.5% reported one scene that stayed with them. Almost three fourths (73.4%) knew someone personally who had died by suicide. There was a significant association between high levels of occupational exposure to suicide and behavioral health consequences including PTSD, persistent thoughts of a suicide scene, and the inability to shake a scene. The inability to shake a scene and having a scene stick with them was associated with increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Conclusions: LEOs experience a tremendous amount of exposure to suicide scenes and also have personal exposure. There is a need for training to mitigate the effect of these multiple traumas on their mental health.

Suicide in Police Work: Exploring Potential Contributing Influences

American Journal of Criminal Justice, 2009

Police officers are considered at increased risk for suicide. The objective of this study was to explore potential influences on suicide ideation among 105 randomly selected men and women urban police officers. Depression, gender, and marital status appeared to be most strongly associated with police suicidal ideation. Depressive symptoms were higher among women than men officers (12.5 percent vs. 6.2 percent). For each standard deviation increase in depressive symptoms, the prevalence ratio (PR) of suicide ideation increased 73 percent in women (PR=1.73, 95% CI=1.32-2.27) and 67 percent in men (PR=1.67, 95% CI=1.21-2.30). The association between depression and ideation was stronger among unmarried women officers (PR=4.43; 95% CI=2.19 -8.91) than married women officers (PR=1.39, 95% CI=1.09 -1.79). While depression has previously been associated with suicide, such results are unusual in a healthy working population such as the police.