Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue

In this second edition of Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue, the author brings together “old and new” information on police suicide and he introduces some promising findings. In doing so, he clarifies some issues and provides a source of information for police officers, administrators, and academic researchers. In this lucidly written book of ten chapters, Doctor Violanti discusses the classical studies in suicide, the accuracy and validity of police suicide rates, probable precipitating factors associated with police suicide, the impact of retirement, the idea of “suicide by suspect,” the antecedents of murder-suicide, the plight of survivors of police suicide, and information and suggestions for police suicide prevention. Also discussed is the relationship between suicide and the reluctance of police officers to seek professional help. Suggestions are made for police suicide prevention that include intervention programs and suicide awareness training. The author stresses that the first and most important step in preventing suicide is to recognize the problem. It is hoped that this new edition will provide an additional resource to help prevent these deaths.