CHPwannaBE
01-04-2007, 09:56 AM
Suicide epidemic confronted at CHP
Recent surge results in far higher rates than other law enforcement
agencies.
By Beth Barrett, Staff writer
Article Launched: 01/03/2007 10:28:03 PM PST
Stung by an epidemic of suicide among its officers, the California
Highway Patrol is instituting a prevention and awareness program
similar to those long used successfully by law enforcement agencies in
Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Last year, the CHP had eight suicides among its 7,200 officers - a
rate five times the national average for law enforcement. Experts are
calling the suicide cluster - 13 total since September 2003 - the most
serious among law enforcement agencies nationwide.
"I don't know of any other large agency that's had as many in such a
short time," said Robert E. Douglas, executive director of the
National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation, a Maryland-based
organization that tracks law enforcement suicides nationwide.
Answers sought
The suicides have shaken officers and civilian CHP employees statewide
as officers grapple for answers, said Rick Mattos, president of the
California Association of Highway Patrolmen.
"There's a kind of a feeling of hopelessness," Mattos said. "I think
everyone is trying real hard and no one can put their finger on it.
Everyone is looking for the magic answer, and no one can find it."
And last year's surge in suicides has everyone
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on edge, he added.
"The real story is why so many? There have been so many, everybody
knows somebody. I get asked a lot, `Why is this happening?"'
There doesn't seem to be a common theme aside from the victims being
mostly men and using firearms to kill themselves, he said.
The statistics
The CHP has had 13 officer suicides since September 2003, and one
civilian suicide. The total included a dozen men and two women. Ten
used a gun to kill themselves, while two died of an overdose, one by
hanging and another by asphyxiation.
Of the eight suicides in 2006, three were in Southern California but
outside L.A. County, Deputy Chief Ramona Prieto said.
Prieto, who volunteered to head up suicide prevention efforts, called
the numbers "horrific" but said the agency is committed to instituting
training and other intervention programs.
She said model programs - like the Los Angeles Police Department and
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as well as the Air Force and
New York Police Department - are evaluated for strategies that can be
used in the CHP.
Los Angeles police and the Sheriff's Department, each with about 9,000
sworn officers, have had six and one suicides, respectively since Jan.
1, 2003.
The comparable suicide rates: CHP has had an average 45 per 100,000
annually over the past four years, spiking to 111 per 100,000 last
year; versus an annual average at LAPD of 17 per 100,000, and the
Sheriff's Department at 3.4 per 100,000.
National law enforcement suicide rates run between 18 and 22 per
100,000; the general population's rate is about 11 per 100,000.
Prieto acknowledged the CHP culture might discourage some officers
from seeking help.
"In the culture of police work, (officers) are taught to take care of
things on their own," she said. "The thought of going to therapy may
not be as appealing."
Next steps
In April, CHP Commissioner Mike Brown ordered a formal review of the
spate of suicides.
"It was done in part because of the number of employee suicides, and
management wanted to do something to prevent (more) suicides," CHP
spokeswoman Fran Clader said. "We want employees to know we care about
them, and that it's something that's being taken seriously."
CHP academy personnel has looked at the best practices around the
country, including the LAPD and Sheriff's Department, with a final
proposal expected to be unveiled in a couple of weeks.
The CHP also is considering hiring or consulting with a clinical
psychologist.
A video is set to be released later this month discussing suicide
awareness and prevention, among other issues.
Douglas and other suicide experts said law enforcement officers are
subject to trauma on the job, as well as stress within their agency
and families.
Frequently, they will kill themselves where the stress is most acute,
for instance in the family home or in a commander's office.
"They just can't live with the hurt and pain," Douglas said.
The CHP, partly because it operate statewide, has relied on its
contractor, Managed Health Network, to provide psychological services
and has no immediate plans to hire staff psychologists to work with
officers.
LAPD's Behavioral Science Services employs 17 psychologists; while the
Sheriff's Department has nine psychologists.
Mattos, the CHP union president, said employees are looking out more
for one another when fellow officers go through a domestic or
professional crisis, but still often feel helpless.
"Everyone started out in this career to help other people," he said.
"When we can't take care of our own, it's frustrating."
Recent surge results in far higher rates than other law enforcement
agencies.
By Beth Barrett, Staff writer
Article Launched: 01/03/2007 10:28:03 PM PST
Stung by an epidemic of suicide among its officers, the California
Highway Patrol is instituting a prevention and awareness program
similar to those long used successfully by law enforcement agencies in
Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Last year, the CHP had eight suicides among its 7,200 officers - a
rate five times the national average for law enforcement. Experts are
calling the suicide cluster - 13 total since September 2003 - the most
serious among law enforcement agencies nationwide.
"I don't know of any other large agency that's had as many in such a
short time," said Robert E. Douglas, executive director of the
National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation, a Maryland-based
organization that tracks law enforcement suicides nationwide.
Answers sought
The suicides have shaken officers and civilian CHP employees statewide
as officers grapple for answers, said Rick Mattos, president of the
California Association of Highway Patrolmen.
"There's a kind of a feeling of hopelessness," Mattos said. "I think
everyone is trying real hard and no one can put their finger on it.
Everyone is looking for the magic answer, and no one can find it."
And last year's surge in suicides has everyone
Advertisement
on edge, he added.
"The real story is why so many? There have been so many, everybody
knows somebody. I get asked a lot, `Why is this happening?"'
There doesn't seem to be a common theme aside from the victims being
mostly men and using firearms to kill themselves, he said.
The statistics
The CHP has had 13 officer suicides since September 2003, and one
civilian suicide. The total included a dozen men and two women. Ten
used a gun to kill themselves, while two died of an overdose, one by
hanging and another by asphyxiation.
Of the eight suicides in 2006, three were in Southern California but
outside L.A. County, Deputy Chief Ramona Prieto said.
Prieto, who volunteered to head up suicide prevention efforts, called
the numbers "horrific" but said the agency is committed to instituting
training and other intervention programs.
She said model programs - like the Los Angeles Police Department and
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as well as the Air Force and
New York Police Department - are evaluated for strategies that can be
used in the CHP.
Los Angeles police and the Sheriff's Department, each with about 9,000
sworn officers, have had six and one suicides, respectively since Jan.
1, 2003.
The comparable suicide rates: CHP has had an average 45 per 100,000
annually over the past four years, spiking to 111 per 100,000 last
year; versus an annual average at LAPD of 17 per 100,000, and the
Sheriff's Department at 3.4 per 100,000.
National law enforcement suicide rates run between 18 and 22 per
100,000; the general population's rate is about 11 per 100,000.
Prieto acknowledged the CHP culture might discourage some officers
from seeking help.
"In the culture of police work, (officers) are taught to take care of
things on their own," she said. "The thought of going to therapy may
not be as appealing."
Next steps
In April, CHP Commissioner Mike Brown ordered a formal review of the
spate of suicides.
"It was done in part because of the number of employee suicides, and
management wanted to do something to prevent (more) suicides," CHP
spokeswoman Fran Clader said. "We want employees to know we care about
them, and that it's something that's being taken seriously."
CHP academy personnel has looked at the best practices around the
country, including the LAPD and Sheriff's Department, with a final
proposal expected to be unveiled in a couple of weeks.
The CHP also is considering hiring or consulting with a clinical
psychologist.
A video is set to be released later this month discussing suicide
awareness and prevention, among other issues.
Douglas and other suicide experts said law enforcement officers are
subject to trauma on the job, as well as stress within their agency
and families.
Frequently, they will kill themselves where the stress is most acute,
for instance in the family home or in a commander's office.
"They just can't live with the hurt and pain," Douglas said.
The CHP, partly because it operate statewide, has relied on its
contractor, Managed Health Network, to provide psychological services
and has no immediate plans to hire staff psychologists to work with
officers.
LAPD's Behavioral Science Services employs 17 psychologists; while the
Sheriff's Department has nine psychologists.
Mattos, the CHP union president, said employees are looking out more
for one another when fellow officers go through a domestic or
professional crisis, but still often feel helpless.
"Everyone started out in this career to help other people," he said.
"When we can't take care of our own, it's frustrating."