The Health Hazards of “Street Level” Bureaucracy: Mortality Among the Police

The study was based on data on occupational mortality in Washington state for 1950-1971 (S.Milham, 1976). Age at death & cause of death were obtained for approximately 300,000 White males who died during the study period. A proportional mortality ratio was calculated for each cause of death in each occupational group. Police were less likely than the average male to die of accidents but were more likely to commit suicide & were considerably more likely to die by homicide. (19 refs.)