NCJ Number
113633
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1988) Pages: 91-102
Date Published
1988
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A study of life expectancies for officers retired from the Illinois State Police (ISP) suggests that these officers live as long after retirement as mortality tables for retirees project. This contradicts a commonly held assumption that police die soon after leaving their careers.
Abstract
Analyses for this paper are based on 732 ISP officers who have retired from the agency since 1957. Equivalent information available from Arizona and Kentucky State Patrols shows similar life expectancies to those for Illinois State Police retirees. Data from Ohio Highway Patrol and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) show deaths occurring at an earlier age than projected; however, only those from OPP are significantly earlier. A second finding is that officers who are older at retirement enjoy a longer life compared to those who are younger at retirement. Because of a scarcity of research on this subject, the reasons for these findings are not clear. A particularly important need is for physiological and phychological studies of retirees which may suggest why they live longer than the population as a whole. (Author abstract)