Police Suicides Underscore Importance of Officer Wellness

The recent suicides of four police officers on duty during the Capitol insurrection, coupled with the recruiting and retention crisis in American law enforcement, warrants urgent action to promote officer wellness, reports Marc Levin in an op-ed for The Hill. There were 174 officer suicides in 2020, making officers more likely to die from suicide than in the line of duty — even as shootings of officers increase. From April 2020 to April 2021, officer retirements increased 45 percent, a trend that shows no sign of abating. Meanwhile, a Council on Criminal Justice Task Force on Policing brief on officer wellness noted that only 29 percent of police departments have wellness programs or training.

One correlational study suggests that PTSD could account for up to 46 percent of cases of excessive force. To tackle these issues, the CCJ Task Force identified studies showing that cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce suicide attempts by 60 percent and help more than 70 percent of patients recover from PTSD (by comparison, only 7 percent of untreated patients recovered). Biomarker monitoring systems are also promising, allowing for the identification of officers who have physiological symptoms that may be caused by excessive stress, such as high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate. Departments can also address the counter productive “tough guy” culture, which stigmatizes reaching out for help with mental health problems as weak, through peer support groups and medical leave policies that incorporate both physical and mental health