2,662 officers studied, one commits suicide every 1.25 years. That rate has been on the rise for the past several decades (Violanti and Vena, 1995 in Violanti, 1995). Eleven members of the New York City police department committed suicide in 1994, but only two were killed in the line of duty that year (Baker and Baker, 1996). Studies show that police officers are three times more likely to kill themselves than members of the general public (Baker and Baker, 1996). The officers that take their own lives are often in uniform, and they are usually young. Most are around the age of 20 (Horvitz, 1994). It is clear that police officers are in just as eminent danger of themselves than of the criminals on the street.
             Yet, what is it about the duties of a police officer that pushes them over the edge more often than people in other professions? One of the primary factors in police suicide is job stress. Police have to deal with society's worst on a daily basis. As officers, they face many dangers each day that a member of the public does not face once in his or her entire life. They deal with everything from confronting dangerous criminals to handling the complaints of civilians who feel that a police officer they came in contact with treated them unfairly, when perhaps they did not (Cummings 1996). Officers are required to put their lives on the line every time they go to work, never knowing if they are going to return home at night. It is very difficult for the mind to maintain a positive outlook when one is constantly berated with negativity. Often, police officers become overly critical and pessimistic during their years on the force. The danger they face each and every day and may overwhelm them. Gradually, their coping abilities may falter and they may resort to suicide as a means of ending their frustration (Viola
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