On average, we suffer 165 line of duty deaths each year, but these figures typically don't include officers who perish due to suicide. I'm not passing judgment on organizations such as ODMP or NLEOMF for disqualifying officers who commit suicide from inclusion in their memorials, but it's arguable the experiences of our nation's police play a role in the highly destructive behavior which sometimes follows. Stated succinctly, some police suicides don't fall far short of what could be, or should be, categorized as bona fide job-related deaths.
We've all faced difficulties in our careers, points of immense sadness and turmoil. I lost my friend and trainee, one of our department's only third generation police officers, when Jimmy Wilson, Jr. was ambushed on a traffic stop on August 20, 1995. Shot to death by South Family Blood gang members, Jimmy didn't so much as make it out of his cruiser before 11 rounds of high powered rifle fire came crashing through his cruiser's windshield.
More timely was my intimate involvement in the December 5, 2007 massacre inside Von Maur department store at the Westroads Mall in Omaha. As one of the first three police officers at the scene of the most horrific crime in our city's 150 year history, I dealt with the demon of an active shooter environment, the visual of broken bodies, and the unrealistic second guessing I put myself through in the days following: "What could I have done differently? Could I have driven faster? Why couldn't I have been closer? Why did the shooter rob me of the opportunity to stop him? Why couldn't we save those people?"
Life is tough enough as is. Mortgages, spouses, conflict in the extended family, worry over the economy, children (or infertility for some), careers, budgetary constraints, divorce, illness, taxes — the grind of normal life takes a toll on everyone. Yet, when an array of these common life stressors are cocktailed with the mental and physical pressures police officers are subjected to, the recipe can become highly explosive. Depression and PTSD are not simple anecdotes or aberrations in our chosen vocation; they represent a veritable epidemic in the law enforcement community.
So what do we do to keep ourselves safe, and what obligation do sergeants have to protect their troops? First and foremost, we must maintain some level of physical and mental health ourselves.
Fitness
Spend time making fitness a part of your lifestyle. You'll be doing a great service for yourself, your family and your community, because you'll be better prepared to carry out your duties effectively, and live to tell about. You'll look better in your uniform too, and refusing to present yourself as a disinterested, misshapen, disheveled supervisor who couldn't run across the street to save his own life is one of the foundation stones in becoming a good leader. Imagine doing an inspection when you look like you slept in your blues and rolled out of bed minutes before showing up for roll call.
Mental Well Being
Invest in your own conduct and mental well being before you worry about others. Keep your personal relationships unsullied. Easy to say, hard to do, I know, but be proactive in your personal life just as you're proactive on the street. If it's counseling you could benefit from, seek it. Most departments offer assistance programs that are of little or no cost to the employee. Personally, faith is an important component of my self preservation, something I rely on heavily to help me weather the storms life blows my way.
Next, I maintain perspective by worrying about things only within my span of control. I'm not the chief; I don't make policy decisions. I am the leader of my crew. I'm responsible for a group of nine or ten street cops for eight hours a day. I navigate SOP for my officers and assist them with their decision making. I don't nitpick, and I do whatever I can to "back their play" and get them home at night. I must maintain a level of discipline, but it too is my job to act as something of a buffer between the troops and the occasional overzealous, out of touch police managers above them.
What to Look For
Once the first-line supervisor is squared up -mind, body and soul- he or she can better assess their subordinates and make sound decisions if and when the silent assassin lurks nearby. Look for cues such as significant changes in mood or behavior, pronounced decreases in productivity or quality of work, unusual or unexplained spikes in the use of sick leave, etc. Communicate with your people. Mentor and correct, yes, but praise them when it's appropriate. Thank them when they've done a good job, be fair and equitable when they haven't, and know what resources are at your disposal in times of need, such critical incident support functions, employee assistance programs, and department chaplains.
A Personal Example
Locally, a fellow officer who was among the early responders to the active shooter at Von Maur voiced displeasure over being asked to attend a department sponsored critical incident stress debriefing with professional mental health experts in the days following the murders. I responded with a bit of psychology.
I have always instinctively believed some of the people who are uber-resistant to the idea of CISD can benefit the most from it. Without embarrassing the cop with melodrama, I suggested not all responders who witnessed the grisly scene were as strong as he was. Perhaps by being there and showing his own vulnerabilities, he would be able to provide support for those less secure in their feelings about what they experienced. And maybe just maybe, he would save someone from the bottle or a girlfriend or their own duty weapon in the process of sharing.
I attended CISD with the officer in question. I'll never know for sure if he benefited from his own testimony during the session or if he impacted others who were obviously stewing and upset by the incident. All I can say is, I have made a pledge to myself to be on guard for others, and to do something about it when my gut tells me an officer is having a tough go of things.
Don't stand quietly on the sidelines. The lives lost each year to the dark and unsavory subject of police suicide are worth fighting for.
Hyperlinks:
Suicide Takes Toll on Police
Officer Down Memorial Page
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund