01/08/2022
Unfortunately their pain is real if you know an officer or have an officer in your family support them and remind them how much they are loved. Sue #720 we love and miss you 
A Douglas, Wyoming officer died by su***de this year just weeks after a former co-worker at the Casper, Wyoming PD also took his own life. Just a few days ago, 2 St. Lucie County, FL deputies took their own lives, ultimately dying within hours of each other. Truly heartbreaking, considering the 2 deputies had a 1-month-old child together who will grow up without knowing either birth parent. More officers die by su***de every year than are feloniously killed in the line of duty, and yet despite the best efforts of many organizations, the number continues to trend upward.
Why do so many police officers die by su***de?
We did a survey through Humanizing the Badge asking police officers about the topic of su***de, and here is what we found from the 3,892 responses we received:
· 41% said they would consider su***de as an option if they were to find themselves in one or more of the following circumstances:
- Loss of a spouse, life partner, or child as a result of death
- Loss of a spouse, life partner, or child as a result of divorce or separation
- Recent diagnosis of a major/terminal illness
- Feeling responsible for the death of a coworker
- Killing someone accidentally or out of anger
- Feeling isolated or alone
- Being accused of sexual misconduct
- Fear of losing their job due to being convicted of a crime or facing incarceration
- Fear of losing their job due to receiving a mental health diagnosis
· 43% said they had personally known another officer or former officer who had died by su***de
· 78% said they were personally aware of another department or agency that had lost an officer or former officer to su***de
Studies from entities like the U.S. Department of Justice show that the average su***de rate in law enforcement is 60% higher than the general population, and that the su***de rate in departments like Chicago PD and NYPD are 60% greater than the average LE rate!
Is there any doubt that su***de in law enforcement is a problem? Of course not. Even if we don’t know the exact numbers from across the country, the numbers that we do know are (or should be) enough to cause us to want to take action and to do better.
Here’s some important advice to officers – if you are struggling with the stresses of life either on or off the job (or both) there ARE plenty of places you can reach out to have a CONFIDENTIAL conversation.
· Call for Backup (m.me/callforbackup.org/)
· The National Crisis Text Line: Text BADGE to 741741
To agency leaders: Stop threatening your people when they say they need help. Get peers adequately trained to support one another. Know how to talk to them about their struggles without threatening them with the loss of their job. Have policies in place that help improve their lives so you won’t have to break out the policy on what to do after they’re dead.
Entire post credit to: Humanizing the Badge
