Resource Tag: OCCUPATIONS. POLICE

Both psychological research in & statistical analysis of police suicide will produce a great level of understanding, but these should not lead to decisions about interventions & prevention programs. Once data has been collected, researchers should curb the use of statistics; the essential elements of all applied science are logic & common sense. This chapter […]

When a police officer dies by suicide, it has a tremendous impact on every level of the police department. Through analysis of an individual case of the suicide of a police officer from a small city department, the authors explore the impact on other officers & on the department as a whole. Based on this […]

This chapter reviews themes common in the suicides of uniformed law enforcement officers & special agent personnel. Cases reviewed repeatedly show injury to self-esteem & the loss of control. In every death studied, there were viable alternatives to suicide but the interventions were not perceived to be viable to the officer at risk. The focus […]

This chapter addresses the spiritual dimensions of police suicides. Spirituality is a two-edged sword: while it can be an asset in dealing with the problem, it also can be viewed as suspect. Both suicide & spirituality are emotionally charged issues, begging to be addressed in conjunction. This chapter explores the issues within the law enforcement […]

The presenter & another colleague were commissioned to analyze Federal Bureau of Investigation agents’ reactions to shootings & to determine the ramifications of these effects on agents involved in the exercise of deadly force. From that analysis, as well as from a series of interviews & a conference held in June 1993, a series of […]

This chapter provides a background & framework for developing a proper approach to evaluating the suicide risk potential of police officers. It reviews a number of the risk factors & instruments that might aid such an evaluation, including both multimeasure psychopathology inventories & single-scale tests. A few case examples presented typify some of the complex […]

This chapter compares the dimensions, etiology, & social construction of police & correctional officer suicide. In the process, it explains the public attention & inattention paid to both & the reality & mythology of suicide rates. These analyses, based on the author’s sociological work in police & correctional departments in the United States & Europe, […]

This chapter examines the practical side of dealing proactively with the stress encountered by police officers on a daily basis, stress that when dismissed as part of the job generates disastrous outcomes. The specific emphasis is on understanding critical incident stress & its impact. A practical outline of mandatory training, both at the academy & […]

This chapter examines the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder & police suicide. It examines the predisposing factors, time-of-incident variables, & long-term effects that can individually or in unison contribute to suicide. A multifaceted approach is offered to preventing suicide among officers suffering posttraumatic stress disorder, including training of officers, training of managers, policy & procedure […]

This chapter proposes the importance of perfectionism, rather than stress, as a crucial predictor in law enforcement suicide. The personality, character style, & training of law enforcement personnel are discussed in relation to subtypes of perfectionism. Recommendations are made to identify & measure perfectionism, including the 45-item Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale developed by Hewitt & Flett. […]

The law enforcement first-line supervisor, when properly trained, can play a vital role in prevention & intervention tactics relating to law enforcement suicide. Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to educate & train first-line supervisors (& eventually all personnel) in the recognition of signs & symptoms in those officers that could be indicators of possible […]

The Suicide Funnel is designed as a training aid that can serve as the basis for a candid discussion of the potential indicators of an officer’s suicidal thoughts & behaviours as well as appropriate interventions. The funnel shape visually conveys the normality of occasional thoughts of wanting the pain to stop & the danger of […]

Another version of this presentation, same title, is also available.

This chapter outlines the use of psychiatric autopsy techniques as a tool in understanding police suicide. The psychiatric autopsy approach is a synthesis of assessment methods taken from both psychological autopsy & psychobiography. After a discussion of the background, purpose, & methodology of psychiatric autopsy, the chapter explores a specific case of police suicide-homicide by […]

The title of a newspaper article, “We may Never Know the Answer” served as the impetus to search for possible answers to the complex problems of police stress & suicide. 2 incidents in Naperville, Illinois are provided as illustration. This chapter attempts to bring forward some of the reasons for police officer stress, discusses some […]

This chapter focusses on postvention. Postvention services include play therapy for children, professional supportive counselling for individuals most affected, professional psychoeducational group counselling, & peer counselling. Specific postvention procedures are presented. JA

This research examined the relationship between sense of coherence, job satisfaction, & suicide ideation among South African police personnel. The study population consisted of 120 police officers in the North West Province. The results show sense of coherence is related to suicide ideation in the case of white police officers. Sense of coherence & satisfaction […]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s internal employee assistance program has a proactive approach to suicide prevention & response, including a standard of care & a suicide response protocol. Factors that contribute to the suicide of an agent include depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, frustration, firearms, & management response. Suicide in the Federal Bureau of Investigation is […]

This chapter presents a model known as “living between the lines”, one interpretation of the correlation between interpersonal stress & suicide. This approach explores an officer’s commitment to a career that has been described as a de facto marriage, at times superseding family. The cumulative effect of the cycle of stress described in this model […]

This research determined the relationship between sense of coherence, generalised self-efficacy, locus of control, & coping on the one hand & suicide ideation among South African police personnel on the other. The study population consisted of 287 uniformed officers in the North West Province. Results showed sense of coherence & generalised self-efficacy were related to […]

Since 1985, 89 uniformed members of the New York City Police Department have died by suicide. The department has established several employee assistance units, innovative programs, & initiatives to assist police personnel who are experiencing personal & professional problems in an effort to reduce the incidence of police suicides. This chapter will discuss causal factors […]

The disinclination to discuss suicide is compounded in the law enforcement community where officers are expected “to suck it up” & not admit to problems. The literature is replete with examples of situations where an officer most likely died by suicide but the death was classified as accidental. In addition, careful perusal of officers’ deaths […]

This book brings together research on the phenomenon of suicide-by-cop. Topics covered include: definitions, curent research, & case studies with an analysis of police situations in which they occur, descriptions of the perpetrator’s background, & the motivation to engage in this behaviour. The psychological aftermath of these incidents for police officers is discussed. Suicide risk […]