How We Are Dying

May 8, 2018
Are we a bigger threat to ourselves than the bad guys are to us? Today's battles are being fought on two fronts - on the streets and in our heads.

The 2018 headlines scream it almost daily - cops ambushed and killed; cop shot serving warrant, and on and on. As we prepare to celebrate National Police Week beginning on May 13th, a total of 45 police officers have died on duty, and 25 of the deaths have been the result of gunfire. On this same date last year there were 44 total fatalities. Last year, 2017, there were 129 cops killed, 46 of those deaths were caused by firearms. The previous year, 2016, was even worse - 135 police officers died in the line of duty. That number is the worst tally in the past five years. And a recent ABC News report said that if this year’s pattern continues at its current rate, 2018 could see 80 on-duty police deaths from gun violence.

Despite the carnage, the media seems almost silent for the most part. Sure every so often there is coverage of an officer’s murder or subsequent funeral. But generally the reportage is skimpy at best. Contrast that with the coverage offered when a criminal is killed by law enforcement and you will find a huge disparity in reporting. Days and weeks of coverage ensue, many times making the cops out to be assassins. Even though video and eyewitness evidence indicates the contrary, the media runs the fake news ad infinitum.

So what’s the real story? A recent study on police use of force “… found that in over 1 million police calls, use of force occurred in just 1 of 1,167 cases.” Cops are neither rogue killers nor assassins. According to the March issue of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, “The use of force by police can result in serious injuries and fatalities, but the risk of significant injuries

associated with different types of force is poorly defined.” Dr. William Bozeman, a professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and lead author of the study said, “We sought to determine the incidence of use of force by police and compare the rates of significant injury among the different methods that police officers employ.”

Among the suspects affected by the use of force incidents, 355 suffered mild injuries such as abrasions and contusions, but only 16 suffered moderate or severe physical injuries. One of the 16 cases was a fatal gunshot wound. Bozeman was surprised at the study’s findings and said, “A remarkable finding in the study is how infrequently police use force at all – less than 1 in 1100 calls for service and less than 1 in 120 criminal arrests is surprisingly low, and contrary to many perceptions that police commonly use violence in their interactions with the public.” The study concluded that when force is used by officers, most cops commonly rely on unarmed physical force and CEWs. Significant injuries are rare.

Needless to say, the popular narrative leads the public to believe cops are out to kill and maim people. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when a cop is involved in a shooting, fatal or not, it often affects him or her deeply. PTSD is one of the common after affects suffered by involved participants. And while in 2017 the number of cops killed amounted to 129, officers that committed suicide amounted to 140, that according to The Badge of Life (BOL) non-profit organization.

So how are we dying? Are thugs on the street a big danger to us, or are we more at risk of dying at our own hands? According to BOL, twelve officers died of suicide each month in 2017. The rate of police suicides in that year was 16 per 100,000, compared to the public rate of 13.5 per 100,000. And mind you, these numbers may not be all that accurate since some agencies don’t report suicides for various reasons. Typically, the average age for a police suicide was 42, time on the job was 16 years, and almost all were males (96%).

While we know how to train our officers to fight criminals on the street, we’re not that well equipped to train them on how to handle their own demons. More needs to be done to focus on officer well-being. Today’s cop is under tremendous stress from countless sources: the media, emboldened criminals, a weak criminal justice system, long shifts, fewer days off, home life, etc. Many agencies are shorthanded. Jonathan Thompson, executive director of the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), said that five years ago there were 100 applicants for every vacancy. Today, that number is down to the low 60s. Translation: fewer cops to fill the needed shifts.

Departments must employ mental health professionals who integrate well with officers, and whose sessions with those seeking help don’t amount to stigmatizing the individual. If an officer knows where to go when they’re no longer able to cope, a life may be saved. At the very least, negative behaviors such as alcohol and drugs can be avoided. In addition, officers need to be taught to recognize the signs of PTSD not only in themselves, but in their fellow officers as well.

Today’s battles are being fought on two fronts—on the streets and in our heads. Enough of us die at the hands of thugs and knuckle draggers. Let’s protect ourselves mentally; let’s get the mental toughness we need to fight through the demons trying to take us down.

STAY SAFE, BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

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