Police Suicide: Assessing the Needs of the Survivors (From Suicide and Law Enforcement, P 173-180, 2001, Donald C. Sheehan and Janet I. Warren, eds. -- See NCJ-193528)

• NCJ Number: 193545
• Author(s): Teresa T. Tate
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: A paper submitted to the Suicide and Law Enforcement Conference, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA, September 1999.

Annotation

This article discusses some of the causes of police suicide, identifies factors in the trauma experienced by survivors, and recommends services for survivors.

Abstract

Some of the frequent causes of police suicide are depression, alcohol abuse, and an on-the-job injury that causes chronic pain and emotional distress for years. Attention must be given to the needs of the family and coworkers of officers who commit suicide. Family members who witness or discover a suicide in the home are particularly vulnerable to severe trauma. They not only have the shock of direct contact with the suicide or its immediate aftermath, but are typically viewed as suspects until cause of death is determined. For an officer who commits suicide outside the family home, notification of the death is traumatic and requires sensitive and enlightened procedures and follow-up. Speculation about the cause of the suicide can also intensify stress in the survivors. Every police department should develop and implement a plan to meet the needs of both the victim's family and coworkers. A positive response to the needs of survivors will allow them to grieve without misdirected anger and bitterness toward the department. The actions and reactions of the victim's police "family" can either impede or assist the survivors' difficult journey toward healing.