RESEARCH
Comparison of Law Enforcement Suicides with Army and Firefighter Suicides
In recent years , considerable attention and research has been focused on the frequency and contributing factors of law enforcement officers committing suicide as well as its impact on families , co-workers , and organizations . The purpose of this study was to refine the comparison of police officer suicide to individuals in groups with similar characteristics and experiences as opposed to the general public .
To accomplish this , researchers examined other professions that required rigid selection procedures to eliminate persons with physical and mental health problems , established minimum education requirements , engaged in shift work , faced occupational stress as well as the high risk of experiencing trauma from their job . Firefighters and army personnel were selected as the comparison groups . Individuals who served in other branches of the military or who were police officers who also served in the
70 WINTER . 2021 reserves or national guard we removed from the data set .
Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System ( NVDRS ) for the three groups between 2003 – 2012 was evaluated . In the end , the study considered 870 suicides represented by 299 ( 34.1 %) law enforcement , 151 firefighters ( 17.41 %), and 420 army ( 48.44 %).
For all three groups , intimate partner problems were the most frequently reported factor contributing to suicide and PTSD diagnosis was the least common factor . For law enforcement , job problems and current treatment for mental health problems were the second and third most significant factor determined to contribute to suicide .
Collectively , these three factors accounted for 87.1 % of police officer suicides . The use of a firearm was the primary used weapon for all three groups but was highest for law enforcement at 81.8 %. Also , females composed a much higher percentage of police suicides ( 13.2 %) as compared with army ( 4.8 %) and firefighters ( 4.6 %).
The author suggested these findings should be considered as a foundation for examining the organizational culture , leadership , and management practices within law enforcement agencies . As part of this review , specific steps should be taken to determine how leadership / management styles could be modified ‘ to minimize authoritarian approaches and maximize supportive and productive engagement of staff ’. Also , consideration should be given to the possibility that current ‘ prevention practices may not be relevant to women ’.
Karl A . Roberts , “ Correlates of Law Enforcement Suicide in the United States : A Comparison with Army and Firefighter Suicides Using Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System ”, Police Practice and Research , Vol . 20 , No . 1 , pp . 64 – 76 , ( 2019 ).