Law Enforcement Suicide - Research Paper Example

Law Enforcement Suicide Law enforcement suicide is the process by which the law enforcement officers take their lives through suicide. Suicide has been rated to be the number one killer of law enforcement officers, and this topic has attracted massive literature on what causes the same and the preventive measures that can be taken to prevent the police from killing themselves. This is a serious concern for any economy because the ability to protect its citizens is based on its sovereignty which is in turn based on the ability of the country to defend itself. The fact that police kill themselves in the line of duty can be attributed to many factors, work related and those that are not work related. This topic is of major concern because when a person reaches a point of committing suicide, there are many other factors that can be done by the person without a care of the law. Therefore, since the law enforcement officers are mostly licensed gun holders, it will be very detrimental to the public if they cause harm to the public before they commit suicide. It is also noteworthy that if the causes are psychological, there is a need to accord them the necessary assistance because the psychological trauma may be caused by the nature of the jobs that the police officers are assigned. All these factors make it important to analyze the literature on what causes the suicide so that they can be addressed promptly, and preventable deaths prevented. According to a report carried out by Loo (2003), the police suicide rates are higher than the civilian population. According to him, there are more male policemen committing suicide as compared to policewomen. However, he appreciates that there were fewer policewomen in the past and those that were there are normally assigned lighter work compared to their male counterparts, something he indicates that it is still happening to date. The reason for the difference can also be attributed to the fact that women have been scientifically proven to multi task, and therefore can find pleasure and happiness in other work they do when the law enforcement issue gets tough. It can also be attributed to the fact that women are social creatures and they tend to socialize and be open more than their male counterparts and thus can easily discuss their problems with other people. Normally when a person under stress talks out the matter, they feel slightly relieved from the sharing and at times they may get assistance through the sharing. Loo also points out that US and Europe report the highest suicide rates in law enforcers as compared to many other countries in the world. However, he appreciates that his report has very many limitations and that the reasoning cannot be conclusive. He admits that very few statistics have been done in other countries; making is possible that even those countries may be experiencing suicide rates but the same have not been captured. He also stresses the need to have comprehensive investigations that encompass social factors such as ethnicity, religion, social support, sex and age (Erlend, 2001). Volanti performed a similar study to that one of Loo above, and the results were similar (2004). In his investigation, he compared the police, firefighters and the military suicide rates and the rate of suicide by policemen was found to be more than twice the other two combined. According to him the report may also be marred by inaccuracies because of the way the police data records are collected and preserved. He opines that many suicide cases may be confused with normal deaths in the course of the operation when they were suicides. He suggests that the police should be accorded professional counseling services from time to time, and the culture of their job could be changed to make it flexible. The position is a position where one has to show toughness so as to protect others and many at times forget that they are human beings with human characteristics and are prone to stress or depression. He also advocates for better record keeping so that correct statistics can be produced that can help in policy implementation. According to Miller, law enforcement agencies are two to three times more likely to commit suicide when compared to civilians (2005). This rate also amounts to over half the deaths of law enforcement officers, and the same has been reported to be on the increase in America. Miller argues that the suicidal cases are not isolated, and that if one is keen enough, they can predict a law enforcement officer who is on his way to committing suicide. According to him, police officers who commit suicide mostly have had pasts of depression and other psychological conditions. Miller argues that there are inherent predisposing factors in the police force that make police officers have a tendency of committing suicide. The law protection career is by its nature based on a system of approval and respect. The civilians have conjoined the law and the enforcement officers and the police have been given an almost equal respect to the law. Therefore, this is something that gets deeply entrenched in their minds and when they cannot be respired, then their minds shut off and they are unable to perform properly. This failure to perform properly, then aggravates the situation further because the police officers are trained with the notion that everything has to be black or white and that there are no gray areas when it comes to enforcement. They then get into a depression mood because they are not getting the respect they want, and to them this means that they have failed as police officers. If the depressive mood continues and the officer is not assisted, then he may end up committing suicide. The police is also deemed to be strong and they are to behave strong, even when they are feeling weak and when they need help. This ego prevents them from seeking the help they need, aggravating the situation even further. Finally, a predisposing factor, according to miller is the fact that they have a gun on standby and therefore they have the means to eliminate themselves. In a recent study, Chopko et al studied the relationship of Suicidal Ideation (SI) to suicide prevalence and how the same can be used to indicate that a police officer may commit suicide (2014). They argue that there are many factors that are associated with the lives of law enforcement officers and that collectively they can lead to SI. SI is a situation whereby the police officer reaches a point at which he makes a choice between living and committing suicide. At this point, any further provocation will lead to suicide. They conclude that the major sign of SI in a police officer is depression and that if an officer is helped out of a depressive state, then they may be able to evade the suicide. They also posit that the life of a police officer is normally associated with dysfunctions with many police officers reporting failed marriages, relationships and alcohol abuse. These are factors that allegedly lead one to loneliness and eventual depression and finally suicide. According to them, when considering the SI of a police officer other factors outside the work of the police officer should be looked at. They argue that the nature of the work of a police officer can act as a pre-disposal factor into the development of SI, and such factors include childhood trauma, low self-worth and job stress. They suggest that when a police officer is getting recruited a background check should be conducted to find out any past experience that may be aggravated by the nature of work that they will be required to perform. They also suggest that the psychological assistance of the police officers should begin from the time they are hired to the point at which they successfully leave the workforce, with those who are found to be critically affected by the job to be assisted even forced to retire (Volanti, 2010). The police should also be evaluated when they joining the force to determine their suitability, and the law can be amended to make it okay for the government to refuse the entry of some people into the force if they are not psychologically ready. However, a weakness to this would be the fact that there may not be a clear measure into the suitability and every aspect of the measurement may end up being subjective. According to Volenti et al, 2008, there are many signs that a police officer displays that can be taken and interpreted that they are about to commit suicide or do any other self destruction act on their lives. He suggests that caretakers, family and friends should watch for those signs and advise the police officer to seek help if they are found to have them. The first sign is aggressiveness and a change in attitude towards the members of the public and family members. Change of character can be a reactionary symptom of something that is bothering the officer, and it could lead to depression. The second sign to look for is the prevalence of accidents that the police officer has when they are off duty.l the accidents can indicate a change of character and diligence of the police officer or they can be failed attempts at suicide or self destruction. When the police officer has made a decision to end his life, he may also start giving away his prized possessions and other valuables to friends and relatives. This can be a show that the police officer is making his life in order in preparation of the demise. This is the same case when a police officer suddenly writes a will, yet he did not care about the disposition of property prior to that time. Another factor is the change in behavior of the person who starts to disregard his looks and starts looking sullen. The officer may also start drinking and doing other things that have no positive impact on his life. The last part of the process before suicide is suicide ideation, writing suicidal plans and notes. Once a person reaches such a stage, they should seek professional help immediately In conclusion, suicide is a real threat to police performance, and until the cause of such suicides can be determined and dealt with, the threat of suicide will still remain a real threat in the disciplined forces. There is a need to come up with a suicide prevention policy at the work place, and this policy should apply to all ranks of the officers. The policy should be given to every officer upon joining the force, and it should detail the actions one can seek in case they feel suicidal. Police officers should also be given adequate information regarding suicide, and be informed when to seek help. The police officers should also be each others keepers, and report any officer who displays signs of suicide. There should also be a policy to the effect that no action will be done against any police officer who seeks help when they have suicidal tendencies. Instead, help should be ready at hand. Scholars also suggest that letting the police officers have some free time in between shifts and giving them enough pay and allowances may reduce suicide by some proportion. This is based on the fact that some of the things that may cause police officers to think of suicide are concerned with their private life, and lack of time to address those things (Volanti, 2008). It should be noted that a suicidal police officer is very dangerous because he already has the means of eliminating life, and he also has an ego that prevents them from seeking help. References Chepko et al. (2014). Prevalence and Predictors of Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Law Enforcement Officers. J Police Crim Psych (2014) 29:1–9 Erlend et al. (2001). Suicide in police--A critical review. Suicide & Life - Threatening Behavior; Summer 2001; 31, 2;. 224-233 Loo, R. (2003). A meta-analysis of police suicide rates: Findings and issues. Suicide & Life - Threatening Behavior; Fall 33:3; 313-325 Miller, L (2005). Police Officer Suicide: Causes, Prevention, and Practical Intervention Strategies. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 7:2, pp. 101-114 Volanti, J. M. (2010). Police suicide: a national comparison with fire-fighter and military personnel Policing. An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management. 33 : 2. pp. 270-286 Volanti, et al. (2008).Shift-Work and Suicide Ideation Among Police Officers American Journal Of Industrial Medicine 51:758–768. Volanti, J.M., (2004). Predictors of Police Suicide Ideation. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 34(3) Fall 277-283 Read More