...Casualties of Law Enforcement: Homicide and Suicide Katherine Nielsen Buena Vista University Online Abstract This work is an overview of the increase in deaths of law enforcement agents: those killed on duty and those who kill themselves. As per a yearly report (Berman, 2014), the number of law enforcement agents killed while working rose almost a quarter this past year compared to years prior, especially ambush-style killings. Police officers across the country face potential dangers on their job, and they are a target simply because they are in uniform. As well, every 17 hours an officer commits suicide (Berman, 2014). This paper explores the correlation of the stress experienced by law enforcement associated with general strain theory (GST). GST is an explanation for suicide ideation for law enforcement officers. Other articles observe that police officers may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a critical incident or a traumatic experience. PTSD awareness is critical for saving lives. Why is there an increase in law enforcement deaths and suicides, and what needs to occur to change this trend? Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder, general strain theory Introduction There were 50 officers murdered by shootings in 2014, a huge leap from the 32 such deaths a year prior (Berman, 2014). One officer killed is one officer too many, and this trend needs to be reversed. How does society stop this? Altogether, 126 law enforcement officers died in...
Words: 8098 - Pages: 33
...The term suicide by cop was first coined by Dr. Karl Harris in 1983 when he was a suicide hotline operator. Dr. Harris had previously served on the police force and had quoted to the New York Times in 1998 that he coined the term as a result of his years on the police force and his experience of observing, "cases where it appeared that people had actually forced police officers to shoot them" (Voorhees, 2014). Suicide by cop is the result of an individual intentionally displaying life-threatening behaviors in order to coerce a law enforcement officer to respond with lethal force which results in that individual's death. The typically profile for an individual that is likely to engage in a suicide by cop is younger, Caucasian, males who have active relationship conflicts or have suffered from mental health issues (Patton & Fremouw, 2016). In terms of percentages, the estimated percentages for suicide by cop victims were around ninety-eight percent males, fifty-two percent were Caucasian, and the average of their ages were in the earlier thirties. According to a case report produced by the American Journal of Psychiatry, suicide by cop accounts for ten to thirty-six percent of law enforcement shootings. Upon researching each of these victim's triggers it was discovered that over seventy percent of them had recently suffered a stressful, adverse life event such as the recent end of a relationship, victim or perpetrator of domestic violence,diagnosis of a terminal illness, a loss...
Words: 335 - Pages: 2
...that the law enforcement profession is not the only occupational group to experience alcoholism among the ranks and the alcoholic officer is not unlike millions of others in the workforce that contend with the disease, how prevalent does the abuse of alcohol among police officers remain? It was 1975 when former law enforcement turned novelist, Joseph Wambaugh, shared The Choirboys with us. Wambaugh’s fictional tale of the shenanigans involving police officers spent a great deal of time discussing the use and abuse of alcohol by the police. Are cops are still turning up the bottle and at an alarming rate? From the Wambaugh’s tales of the after-shift meetings in MacArthur Park to today’s “stress-relief” briefings at various wing houses and sports bars across the country police officers are boozing it up and alcohol abuse among the profession has reached an all-time high. Recent studies indicate that one-quarter of all police officers in the U.S. are afflicted with the disease of alcoholism. Not surprisingly, studies have established a significant correlation between occupational stress and increased alcohol use by police officers today. Occupational stress, if untreated, can lead to negative changes in a law enforcer’s life, especially how they view themselves and the communities that they serve. This puts the officer at risk for becoming cynical, burned out, apathetic, abusing alcohol or drugs, and committing suicide. While...
Words: 1337 - Pages: 6
...Kim Kell Craig Boswell Bullying and Cyber Bullying November 29, 1983 Bullying is a very unfortunate situation that has been around for generations. The world may have not of had a term for it back in those days however making a individual or individuals feel as if they are not equal or less than them has always been an unfortunate situation humans have had to fight rough whether in school, at the park or over the internet. Bullying is around and is getting worse the more the Internet expands and links individuals through social networking. In history there has been billions of bullying situations, not all have been documented and broadcasted through the web and news. In 2010 Tyler Clementi killed himself after his roommate at Rutgers University filmed him kissing another man. Phoebe Prince a 15-year-old innocent young girl moved from Ireland and not even after living in the United States for a year killed herself because of bullying in a Massachusetts school. These are just a few of the innocent lives that were taken resulting from being bullied. The most unfortunate bullying results can be when multiple individuals gang up on one person. In Tampa Florida for over a year 15 girls ganged up on an innocent 12 year old named Rebecca Ann Sedwick. Not only did they physically abuse her bullies harassed her online sending her messages saying “why don’t you go kill yourself” and “You should die”. Soon after she could not take the cyber bullying any longer and changed her...
Words: 1638 - Pages: 7
...Brice Intro to Law Enforcement Professor Nichols April 18, 2012 Certification of Authorship: I or certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas, words, either quotes directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me especially for this course. 1) How is the patrol function affected by the officer’s shift assignment and the nature of the beat to which he or she is assigned? The patrol function is affected because of the hours of being bore. Police become bored around two and three o’clock. They use this time to stay alert by chatting with other officers and drinking coffee. 2) What are some of the occupational hazards that are inherent in beat patrol? What does H.R. 218 permit? Police officers losing their lives in the line of duty because, of not knowing what to expect from emergency calls and even a non-emergency calls. They don’t know if the person whom they are about to confront is armed, on drugs, or plan to get revenge on a police officer because of personal issues in the past. H.R. 218 permits qualified police officers from carrying a concealed weapon with the exceptional of officers who’ve retired and have at least fifteen years of service experience (Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act 2004). 3) What is meant be suicide by cop, and what...
Words: 670 - Pages: 3
...Crisis workers take on many different roles on a daily basis. Crisis workers also come in many different career fields; they are law enforcement officers, therapists, doctors, hospital staff, and many other careers. The responsibility of each individual is broken down into several additional roles. Similar to law enforcement, a crisis worker’s job is always to protect and serve the public. It is clear that Cassandra has been though a lot in her life; her recent break down is of major concern as to what is really going on mentally and physically. Human crises are never quick and simple, they are and can be extremely difficult and time consuming. The Six Step Model of Assessment helps crisis workers weed through the situation. In Cassandra’s case the model first tells us we have to define the problem. With the information currently given from law enforcement and Cassandra, there are several problems present: 1. Apparent violent altercation with boyfriend (noticeable bruising) 2. Law enforcement suspects she may have murdered her boyfriend. 3. Witnessed father and grandfather physically and sexually abuse mother 4. Family substance abuse problems: dad abuses alcohol, brother abuses heroin 5. 3 past suicide attempts (most recent 3 months ago) 6. Mental state questionable a. Thinks boyfriend still alive and wants to see him b. Brought in talking to self c. Unable to answer direct questions d. Smiles when discussing negative information 7. Homicidal ideation...
Words: 1894 - Pages: 8
...In 1994 the voters of Oregon voted to become the first state to pass the legalization of assisted suicide enacting the Oregon Death with Dignity Act (ODWDA). The law sanctioned registered doctors to prescribe lethal dose of regulated drugs to patients with the approval of two physicians to be within six months of dying from of an incurable condition. The patient must make a voluntary request and must undergo counseling to determine if the patient suffers from any psychological disorders or any form of depression causing impaired judgement. When the law was passed, the Justice Department, under Attorney General Janet Reno, deter that it did not violate the Controlled Substance Act (CSA). The CSA was passed in 1970 and sanctions Congress to...
Words: 951 - Pages: 4
...topic that they are covering is either suicides or homicides taken place by someone with a gun? Seeing that news on the television or on your phone just ruins your day or makes you feel uneasy about people who own guns. There are people who are trying to find a way to stop the suicides and homicides occurring. One answer that politicians talk a great deal about is gun control, and another would be for stricter gun laws for gun owners. But the question cover with this paper is; will gun control cut down the number of suicides and homicides or will it not? In “Gun Control Is a Misfire” Marc Cooper shows what the liberals and the NRA both get wrong. Cooper, a contributing editor to The Nation, retired from the journalism faculty at the USC Annenberg School, has reported on politics and culture for...
Words: 1238 - Pages: 5
...involved. Suicide Gun ownership increases suicide risk. A lot of U.S. case control studies have revealed the relationship between firearm availability and suicides. They found that people are 3 times more likely to kill themselves with access to gun in a home than people without access. Therefore, guns in the home will cause significantly higher suicide rates. Even considering other factors, such as psychological problems, alcohol addiction, unemployment status and poverty rates, the relationship between firearms and suicides persists strongly. In America, there are 1.9 times more suicides (3.8 times more involving guns) in the states with high firearm prevalence than states with low firearm prevalence. Gun control will boost economy and protect...
Words: 1569 - Pages: 7
...and nutrition while increasing physical activity, lessening or bringing suicide, and suicide attempts to an end, and to decrease the...
Words: 789 - Pages: 4
...The fast growth of technology is creating more and more threats to our society in a number of ways. It is threatening individuals by letting cybercriminals gain access to sensitive information that can cause harm to innocent people. It is also creating threats to our younger generations that are unable to cope with the high emotions of social media sites. Individuals are being lured by fake profiles or fake people who would do harm to them. Computer crimes are on the rise. Law enforcements and agencies are doing everything they can to prevent the spread of these crimes. They have created special task divisions to protect our society better. New laws have been put to place to protect U.S citizens better. The four categories of crime: the computer as a target, the computer as an instrument, the computer as incidental to a crime, and crimes associated with prevalence of computer show that everyone can fall victim to some cybercrime. The computer as a target The computer as a target in cybercrime is what today’s society fears. Examples that are considered the computer being a target are denial of service attack, data alteration, and intrusion. Denial of service is when cyber criminals deny users to access to a machine or network. An example of this is when Yahoo was hacked into, and users could not open the website for a couple of hours until Yahoo had fixed the issue. Yahoo’s denial of service attack is a great example because it showed society that even big names...
Words: 2182 - Pages: 9
...Gun Control Laws and Law Enforcement Gun Control Laws and Law Enforcement When a large structure such as the Washington monument is created, the nation remember the names of the people who constructed it. However, people do not remember the hammers that carved the stone. In today’s society when an active shooting takes place the tool is always blamed and receives most of the blame instead of the shooter. Politicians then look for ways to put laws into place to attack the issue. The gun laws being put in place effect a law enforcement officers' job in many ways. Laws get created in states requiring law enforcement to enforce, what I consider to be an unconstitutional attack on the second amendment. The debate on gun control has been going on for years, and it has become more of an issue within the past couple of months. Due to the recent active shootings President Obama has stated that there needs to be stricter gun laws to help lower the gun-crime rates in the United States. Citizens have owned guns for centuries and taking away their rights now because of people committing killing rampages would be unconstitutional. The crime rates are where they are today because of the choices people are making with a gun, and are not caused because someone simply owns a gun. The reaction is legislature that forces police officers to reestablish what the meaning of the second amendment means. Examples are laws that require officers to confiscate guns because a persons weapon...
Words: 1614 - Pages: 7
...overcrowding in detention facilities lead to increased reports of suicide attempts, stress–related illnesses, and psychiatric problems (National Juvenile Detention Association and Youth Law Center, 1998). The need for transformation in how we think about and react to juveniles we define as delinquent would be that once a kid acts out of hand that they need to be put into a detention center because people don’t take the time to actually find out what is wrong with them. The household of the delinquents usually consist of the parents showing less attention to their kids, hatred, no self control, and the parents just don’t find a way to talk to their kids correctly so they become distant from their children. When the adults become distant to their children they then can’t figure out what they need to do to “control” them or to have an understanding on why they are acting as delinquents. When it comes to power I automatically think of the three branches of government which are Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch but the main focus is the Executive branch. Those come to mind because thats were a lot of power and knowledge that I was taught is located there within the government. There is power within the Executive branch because it includes the President directing government, imposing the Armed Forces, dealing with universal powers, representing as chief of a law enforcement officer, and accepting or declining laws. I’ve noticed that a lot of the power has been...
Words: 972 - Pages: 4
...Petrie Grantham University Police or Law enforcement subculture is a collection of typical procedures and morals that control police officers trigger in relation to their pledged duties or responsibilities. Law enforcement officers are ranked fifth as the most traumatic and stressful job in the world. Law enforcement work is very stressful and officers have to not only confront, but deal with several aggressive people in the community. Law enforcement subcultures are composed of officers that come together and search for others that have related beliefs, troubles, opinions, and thoughts. The individual officers start a group and then redefine their thinking and confront general culture norms. Law enforcement subcultures occur because several individuals find a need to have a different uniqueness, the need to revolt, to pursue approval. Police officers are people the community normally looks up to as personifications of self-control and guardians of law and order; yet, police conduct in recent years has been everything but perfect. Some community members no longer have faith or have confidence in police officers enforcing all sorts of modifications against them. Law enforcement behavior is certainly horrible in a selection of cases, particularly where women and minorities are concerned. Law enforcement officials are swayed by a faulty police subculture that has a profound affect on the arrogance and conduct of most law enforcement officers. With that being expressed this...
Words: 638 - Pages: 3
...State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, the FBI in 2014 initiated a study of active shooter incidents to provide law enforcement and first responders with data to help them better prevent, prepare for, respond and recover from future incidents. The report, A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013, evaluated 160 active shooter incidents, including those at Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary School, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Fort Hood, the Aurora (Colorado) Cinemark Century 16 movie theater, the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the Washington Navy Yard and numerous other tragic shootings. Special Agent Katherine Schweit, who heads the FBI’s Active Shooter Initiative, says she hopes the study “demonstrates the need not only for enhanced preparation on the part of law enforcement and other first responders, but also for civilians to be engaged in discussions and training on decisions they’d have to make in an active shooter situation.” The FBI emphasized that the report evaluates active shootings, a term more specific than “mass shootings,” which does not encompass all mass killings or shootings in public places. The FBI defines active shooters as “individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in populated areas (excluding shootings related to gang or drug violence).” The “active” aspect of the term refers to the ability of law enforcement to affect the outcome of the...
Words: 6325 - Pages: 26
