Police Suicide: The Quiet Killer<o:p></o:p>
Suicide is the quiet killer in law enforcement. In many years, more police officers have killed themselves than have been killed by criminals. Many officers and agencies consider suicide to be "weak," or "the coward's way out." Often, because of the shame and stigma attached to suicide, the friends and family of officers who have killed themselves are ashamed or embarrassed to talk about it. This page will talk about suicide frankly, and simply. Our purpose is:<o:p></o:p>
- to help prevent suicide <o:p></o:p>
- to help the families and friends of officers who have committed suicide <o:p></o:p>
- to help agencies set up training and policies to help prevent suicide, and to help the colleagues, friends, and families of officers who do commit suicide<o:p></o:p>
Many of us are uncomfortable talking about suicide. Some of us may also feel, for religious or moral reasons, that suicide is wrong or sinful. The purpose of this site is not to judge or condemn anyone, but to help them.<o:p></o:p>
Every law enforcement officer, trainer, supervisor, and executive needs to know about suicide. Every law enforcement agency needs to tell its employees, and every law enforcement union needs to tell its members, about suicide, and what resources are available to help officers with their problems.