Police Suicide Ideation: PTSD and Mental Health

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

From left to right: Lt. Joseph Banish, Senior Constable Michael Deutrom, Officer Paul Buchanan

Lt. Joseph Banish, a respected New York State Trooper, served 15 years, rose to lieutenant by age 35, and was known as a “cop’s cop” who looked out for his fellow officers. End of Watch: April 1, 2008.

Senior Constable Michael “Micky D” Deutrom, Northern Territory Police (Australia), served 23 years, mentored countless junior officers, and volunteered to teach children in remote communities how to read. End of Watch: April 15, 2022.

Officer Paul Buchanan, East Hartford, TX, dedicated 24 years to service, earning two lifesaving awards, a meritorious service award, and numerous commendations. End of Watch: March 12, 2013.

Each of these men wore the badge with honor, yet all three died by suicide. Their deaths forced their agencies and communities to confront a reality that policing often hides: protecting others can come at the cost of officers’ own mental health.

In 2022, the suicide rate among officers was 21.4 per 100,000 which is far higher than the general U.S. population’s 14.2 per 100,000. But these numbers only capture the end result. They don’t reflect the countless officers who have thought about suicide, made a plan, or attempted to take their lives.

So the real questions are:

• How many officers are silently struggling?
• What factors push them to the edge?
• And most importantly, what can agencies do before another name is added to this list?

What the Data Shows

In 2023, researchers Daniel Lawrence, Kathleen Padilla, and Jessica Dockstader set out to answer a tough but necessary question: what drives suicide in law enforcement? To get there, they surveyed 883 personnel across eight U.S. agencies.

The survey was primarily designed to understand officers’ wellness such as how aware they were of available wellness programs, how often they used them, and how their physical and psychological health compared across different demographics and agencies. Near the end of the survey, participants were also asked a few sensitive but important questions about suicide ideation:

• Have you ever contemplated suicide?
• If yes, have you ever made a serious plan?
• And if yes again, have you ever attempted it?

But the study didn’t just stop at yes or no. It dug deeper, looking at demographics, physical health, mental health, PTSD, and even agency characteristics intersect with officers’ overall well-being. The researchers wanted to see how all these pieces fit together to better understand what contributes to suicide risk and how agencies can better support their personnel.

Bearing the Badge, Battling Inner Struggles: Understanding Suicidal Ideation in Law Enforcement – Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology

Law enforcement is a demanding profession characterized by high levels of unpredictability, uncontrollability, and frequent exposure to traumatic events, all of which can significantly impact psychological health. While previous studies have explored suicidal ideation among law enforcement personnel, there remains a need for deeper investigation into how factors such as demographics, job position, agency characteristics, and physical and psychological health influence this outcome. In this study, survey data from 883 sworn and professional personnel across eight law enforcement agencies are analyzed using ordered probit regression models. The findings underscore the predominant influence of psychological factors on suicidal ideation, particularly self-reported measures of mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mediation analysis further revealed that PTSD diminishes mental health, which in turn exacerbates suicidal ideation. These results highlight the vital role that enhanced mental health plays in reducing suicidal ideation and underscore the importance for law enforcement agencies to prioritize staff wellness by implementing comprehensive wellness programs.

Key Findings

These findings are a wake-up call.

• One in four (25.4%) officers had contemplated, planned, or attempted suicide.
• 3.1% had attempted suicide, a rate five times higher than the national average of 0.6%.
• Mental health and PTSD drive the risk. Officers with PTSD were far more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, and poor mental health amplified the danger. About 18% of staff screened positive for PTSD, more than twice the rate of the general population.
• Agency size matters. Nearly 27% of personnel in large departments reported suicidal ideation, compared to just 8% in small agencies.
• Physical and demographic factors matter less, but still count. Women and never-married staff were at slightly higher risk. Lower self-rated physical health or heavy drinking showed some connection, though psychological factors dominated.
• Some factors didn’t move the needle. Age, race, parenthood, sworn status, rank, role, and tenure had no significant effect.

The takeaway: Suicidal thoughts aren’t about age, race, or role. They are about mental health. Depression and PTSD are the leading drivers, and they demand attention.

From Tragedy to Reform

The deaths of Lt. Joseph Banish, Senior Constable Michael Deutrom, and Officer Paul Buchanan shook their agencies to the core. In each case, tragedy forced departments to confront what they had too often ignored: officer mental health.

• Lt. Joseph Banish Mental Health Act (New York): Created a confidential peer-to-peer counseling system, training officers to support one another while protecting privacy. The goal—reduce stigma and make it easier for officers to seek help.
• Senior Constable Deutrom (Australia): A coronial inquest called for stronger welfare resources, targeted support for remote postings, and improved psychological risk management across the Northern Territory Police.
• Officer Paul Buchanan (East Hartford, CT): Inspired the launch of “Believe 208: Run for the Brave and Finest,” an annual event raising funds for mental health training, outreach, and direct support for first responders and their families.

Image Source: Believe 208: Run for the Brave and Finest Facebook, 9/25/2024

These reforms are steps in the right direction. But let’s be clear: no one should have to die for change to happen. The stories of Banish, Deutrom, and Buchanan prove that progress is possible. Confidential peer networks, expanded counseling, recognition of PTSD as a line-of-duty issue, and breaking down the silence that isolates suffering officers.

The challenge now is making these changes before tragedy strikes. Departments need to learn from these losses and act now, to protect the 25% of officers who have contemplated suicide and to support the 3% who have already attempted it.

Preventing Police Suicide Ideation: Steps for Agencies

Waiting for tragedy is not a strategy. Departments can take proactive steps:

• Regular, stigma-free mental health screenings—treat it like firearms training: mandatory and expected.
• Peer support programs with confidentiality protections.
• Wellness programs that address both mental and physical health.
• Leadership accountability—supervisors trained to recognize warning signs and create a supportive culture.
• Include your civilian staff. Suicidal ideation affects both sworn and nonsworn personnel equally. Programs often focus on officers but civilian staff, who work side by side with them, deserve the same attention and support.

The research is clear: improving overall mental health reduces suicidal ideation. Departments that invest in wellness are not just saving careers. They’re saving lives.

Support your Officers Before It’s Too Late

Departments have the power to act now and prevent another tragedy. If one in four of your colleagues has thought about suicide, this isn’t a fringe issue. It’s woven into the fabric of the profession.

The question is whether law enforcement leaders are willing to face it head on or whether they’ll wait for the next name to be etched on a memorial wall.

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Carlee Ruiz

Carlee Ruiz is the founder of PoliceResearchHub, a platform that turns academic research into practical insights for law enforcement. She brings seven years of experience as a crime analyst and justice researcher, with a focus on evidence based policing, gun violence prevention, and public safety strategy. Carlee currently works as a researcher at National Policing Institute, where she supports evaluations of law enforcement programs and criminal justice initiatives across the country. Through PoliceResearchHub, she aims to make research easier to understand and more useful for the people doing the work on the ground.