No amount of college education or textbook study can prepare you for your experience on duty.
It wasn’t long after I stepped into the squad briefing room that I realized things were vastly different than I had perceived. I can still smell the scent of leather from the duty gear, the boot polish, gun oil, and mint smokeless tobacco like it was yesterday. Day one on any job can be intimidating, but day one as a law enforcement officer often sets the bar for where you will be among your peers for years to come.
Everyone thinks they know about the culture of law enforcement, but until you have served shoulder-to-shoulder, you have no way of knowing. No amount of college education or textbook study can prepare you for your experience on duty. We read stories or see video clips of less than 1% of officers nationwide who screw up and get the publicity while the cameras are often off when an officer takes a bullet or takes their own life.
My career in law enforcement wasn’t one of roses and medals. I had my faults and failures. I have battled depression, and in the name of transparency, those are four of the most difficult words for me to say as a man, as a man who likes to have everything just in the right order and in control, but knowing I am better today empowers me to help others.
Suicide claims more lives of law enforcement officers, year-in, and year-out, than officers who are shot and killed by criminals. Why? Culture. We aren’t supposed to discuss our issues. They say, suck it up and move on. That’s the way most are programmed, and, to an extent, there’s nothing wrong with it, at least until now.
It’s time we start the discussion about law enforcement suicides in America, on a national level. I know there are doctors and therapists, people with excellent education and knowledge who are more than adequately skilled in mental health, but if we don’t start talking and seeking some answers, we are going to continue seeing the number of suicides increase every year.
But suicide in law enforcement is a compelling indicator of more significant issues. According to a study conducted in 2013 by the International Journal of Mental Health Systems (IJMHS), suicide in law enforcement occurs every 18 out of 100,000 officers, while the general population is 11 out of every 100,000 people. Law enforcement suicides are second only to suicides in the U.S. Army, which occur at a staggering rate of 33 out of every 100,000. Under the Shield foundation has a great resource on law enforcement suicides and many myths about these suicides, you can find out more information on their website.
So what can you do?
Your support does matter. But, even if you don’t support law enforcement, they will still put on their badge and duty gear and be there to help you when you need them the most. A simple “Thank you” here and there goes a long way.
They have families, spouses, children, parents, bills, and they want to go home, just like you, at the end of their work day. If we could stop dehumanizing the badge, that’d be great.
If we pay their salary, I think it is time they got a raise. Would you do their job for (on average) $36,000 annually?
Think of your life without law enforcement. Yes, traffic citations would be out the window, but who would come to your aid during a robbery, burglary, or if other violent crimes were occurring?
In 2015, I left my career in law enforcement to focus on my small business and grow my career as a writer. I have since written three books, and business has flourished, but I can’t help but think how broken I was the day I left my badge and gun belt. Looking back, I had no idea how “messed up” I was.
Maybe you don’t agree with what you have read here, but then again, maybe you do. Maybe you hate law enforcement officers, maybe you don’t. For me, faith in Christ is what changed everything for me. Through a relationship with Christ and His word, I strive daily to help more people who are suffering find hope, to help others find purpose and meaning, and take the option of suicide off the table permanently, and faith plays a tremendous role in finding healing. That’s just a piece of a life behind the badge.
The greatest gift we can give the next generation is a country that is unified. It’s time we come together for the common good.
For a free digital copy of my devotional for law enforcement, click on “Free Book” in the menu.
This article first appeared on The Huffington Post.
