At least 228 police officers died by suicide in 2019, Blue HELP says. That’s more than were killed in the line of duty – By Joel Shannon (USA Today) / Jan 2 2020
A Massachusetts-based nonprofit that tracks police suicides says at least 228 officers died by suicide in 2019, the highest number the organization has reported yet.
The 2019 number is again higher than all other line-of-duty deaths combined, a release from Blue H.E.L.P. says.
Because the organization compiles reports of suicide deaths among current and retired officers to arrive at its number, the true total is likely higher. That also means this year’s increase may simply indicate more people are reporting officers’ suicide deaths.
“While it’s disheartening to see these numbers rise, we can’t be sure that suicides are on the rise or if they are being reported more accurately,” a release quotes Karen Solomon, co-founder of Blue H.E.L.P.
The organization, which allows individuals and agencies to report officers’ suicide deaths on its website, says this is the fourth year it has collected data.
Currently, the organization’s website reports 172 officer deaths due to suicide in 2018, 168 in 2017 and 143 in 2016. As of Thursday night, the organization has reported one officer death due to suicide in 2020.
Citing data from The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., Solomon told USA TODAY in an email that 132 officers were killed in the line of duty in 2019, data that includes deaths due to 9/11 illness and heart attacks.
Continue to article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/02/blue-help-228-police-suicides-2019-highest-total/2799876001/
