Three times as many police officers take their own lives than are killed in the line of duty, staggering numbers one former Maryland police officer called "an epidemic."
A police officer takes his or her own life every 17 hours and an officer is killed in the line of duty every 60 hours, said Robert Douglas, executive director of the National Police Suicide Foundation.
"It's an epidemic," said the former officer. "It's a devastating issue."
Flags fly at half staff in front of Waltham Police headquarters. The building and a cruiser parked in front are draped in black bunting in memory of Officer Brian Truesdale.
Truesdale, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while on duty Saturday, will be laid to rest today. He was 32.
According to Douglas, 450 police officers took their own lives in 2004, but FBI statistics only show one suicide that year.
FBI officials did not answer requests for comment.
"Agencies keep it very quiet, which is a major problem," said Douglas, who lost a fellow officer to suicide in 1984.
He said about 14,000 agencies throughout the country do not report suicides.
"There are a lot of different reasons why," Douglas said.
He said law enforcement agencies may want to save themselves or the victim's family embarrassment.
"Police culture has always looked at suicide as a sign of weakness. There's a stigma attached to it," Douglas said. "I don't see it as cowardly or weak."
He said statistics show many officers take their own lives because of stress on the job, political pressures or problems with personal relationships.
Trouble in relationships was the number one reason cited for police suicides in 2004, according to the National Police Suicide Foundation.
Douglas said most, if not all, police suicides are carried out with the officers' service weapons.
"I believe there is an association, an emotional connection with their service weapon," he said.
According to the foundation, six Norwood officers have taken their own lives in the past 25 years.
Norwood Police Chief Bart King did not respond to requests for comment.
Lloyd Potter, director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center in Newton, said it is important to avoid jumping to conclusions about any particular suicide.
"Suicide is a complex issue, and usually when we learn more about the life of a person who attempts or completes suicide, there are things...that we may not have access to or understand," Potter said. "There are a whole range of things that may or may not be present in their lives."
He said there is no simple answer when someone takes their own life and it is "missing the mark" to delve into their profession for one.
"It may not have had anything to do with their job," Potter said, "but police see some horrific things."
For more information visit www.sprc.org or www.psf.org.
Three times as many police officers take their own lives than are killed in the line of duty, staggering numbers one former Maryland police officer called "an epidemic."
A police officer takes his or her own life every 17 hours and an officer is killed in the line of duty every 60 hours, said Robert Douglas, executive director of the National Police Suicide Foundation.
"It's an epidemic," said the former officer. "It's a devastating issue."
Flags fly at half staff in front of Waltham Police headquarters. The building and a cruiser parked in front are draped in black bunting in memory of Officer Brian Truesdale.
Truesdale, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while on duty Saturday, will be laid to rest today. He was 32.
According to Douglas, 450 police officers took their own lives in 2004, but FBI statistics only show one suicide that year.
FBI officials did not answer requests for comment.
"Agencies keep it very quiet, which is a major problem," said Douglas, who lost a fellow officer to suicide in 1984.
He said about 14,000 agencies throughout the country do not report suicides.
"There are a lot of different reasons why," Douglas said.
He said law enforcement agencies may want to save themselves or the victim's family embarrassment.
"Police culture has always looked at suicide as a sign of weakness. There's a stigma attached to it," Douglas said. "I don't see it as cowardly or weak."
He said statistics show many officers take their own lives because of stress on the job, political pressures or problems with personal relationships.
Trouble in relationships was the number one reason cited for police suicides in 2004, according to the National Police Suicide Foundation.
Douglas said most, if not all, police suicides are carried out with the officers' service weapons.
"I believe there is an association, an emotional connection with their service weapon," he said.
According to the foundation, six Norwood officers have taken their own lives in the past 25 years.
Norwood Police Chief Bart King did not respond to requests for comment.
Lloyd Potter, director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center in Newton, said it is important to avoid jumping to conclusions about any particular suicide.
"Suicide is a complex issue, and usually when we learn more about the life of a person who attempts or completes suicide, there are things...that we may not have access to or understand," Potter said. "There are a whole range of things that may or may not be present in their lives."
He said there is no simple answer when someone takes their own life and it is "missing the mark" to delve into their profession for one.
"It may not have had anything to do with their job," Potter said, "but police see some horrific things."
For more information visit www.sprc.org or www.psf.org.
