| Suicide prevention must be a priority |
 |
| Written by Clarke Paris |
|
Police officers are the Keystone in the wall of American safety. Could you even imagine what this country, or the world for that matter, would be like if there were no police officers? People take police officers and the job we do for granted. Society watches television and they think they know what police work is like. After all, how many times have you heard somebody say "I couldn't do your job" or " I don't know how you do it?" The fact is, society does not know what it is like to be a cop. They do not know that many officers take the job home. They do not know what cops think about when they lie in bed at night. They do not know that more police officers commit suicide than are killed by assailants. It is a fact that approximately two percent of police agencies have a program to deal with police suicide. There are hundreds of agencies however, that have an Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P. peer support, or other types of psychological help available. The problem is that cops don't seek the help and they do not accept the help. Cumulative Stress and PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) seem to go hand in hand with police work. Not for all cops but for thousands and thousands. Police stress can be caused by internal issues, external issues or a combination of both and quite often, police officers merely disassociate from the issues that would bother them. In my seminars I call the accumulation of those stressful things 'Cop Stew'. I call it cop stew because each incident is similar to an ingredient in stew. Officers will add ingredients and add ingredients till that pot is full. Some officer's pot might fill up in a year and others may take 20 years. Some officers' pots will never fill up. This is a great analogy for Cumulative Stress because when the pot of stew begins to boil over, it is representative of your emotions. Quite often, when the stew is being made, it will boil and then slow back down to a simmer….Just like your emotions. If you do not turn the heat down or if you don't quit adding ingredients, the cop stew will boil over the top and keep boiling until everything is ruined. These emotions (cop stew), as they build up, quite often result in such issues as excessive force, sub-standard police work, increased absenteeism, failed relationships and sometimes termination or suicide. This can all take place even before your pot boils over. In most cases, when officers do not seek or accept help, their career and personal life can become just like that pot of cop stew once it has boiled over. With stew however, you can just turn down the flame. With PTSD or Cumulative Stress, you cannot just turn down the flame. Professional help is the answer. Law enforcement is a great career and most of society truly does like the police. Most individuals became cops because they wanted to help people. Society still needs our help and we still give it. What is so profound is that cops spend most of their lives giving help, yet, most cops would nearly die before accepting help. This is an important statement because it is a little known fact that more cops commit suicide than are killed by assailants. This is a trend that we not only need to change, but a trend we CAN change. If things don't seem to be going right, if your fuse seems to be getting shorter, you're not happy, there is no job satisfaction and everyone seems to complain about the way you treat them, why not just try some of the help provided. You might just be surprised. After all, you are one of America's heroes. You deserve to enjoy a long happy career. When it's time to retire, take the good memories with you and let the professionals help you to deal with the bad ones. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Comments (4)
  written by Ed LeClair, January 22, 2010
After working with police for 30 years, You are right on target!! The NY Police Foundation has a good suicide prevention program on DVD. Keep up the excellent writing and stay in touch.
 written by Corporal Robert Halecky, February 06, 2010
We all react to stress differently, but the key is to develop good habits early on in your career. I see young officers not able to deal with the stresses of the job, both administratively and in the field. The effects can be devastating. If you don't develop good habits early on and have an out away from the job to help alleviate the stresses, it will one day hit you like a ton of bricks. You will be torn down both physically and emotionally. You have to understand it is only a job. Don't let it get the best of you. If you need some outside support, don't feel ashamed to reach out for help!
 written by Terence L. Shigg, November 10, 2010
Training, training, training! Agencies need/must train officers and supervisors to deal with stressors and each other in a constructive manner. So many times LEO's are cognizant of the needs of others but they don't take care of ourselves. Not realizing that the better and healthier you are mentally and physically the better and more people you can help.
Write comment
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
It really bothers me that when there's a suicide, you so often hear, "We had no idea." I am sure in some cases this is true, as when someone "just snaps," but in other cases, there are plenty of signs. We just choose to ignore them because after all, what can we do?
There's a lot we can do, it just takes strength and a willingness to look -- and reach -- beyond the walls we construct to keep ourselves safe.