Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue [Paperback]

John M. Violanti (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd; 2 edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0398077630
• ISBN-13: 978-0398077631
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" if you wish to understand police suicide, February 28, 2008

By 

Andy O'Hara "Badge of Life Foundation" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue (Paperback)

John Violanti has, with "Epidemic in Blue," written a definitive, precise book on police suicide. I highly recommend this as must-reading for anyone involved in police administration or in police suicide prevention training programs. It's refreshing to read a researcher who approaches the confusing subject of police suicide without first forming a conclusion and then researching the evidence.

Directly and analytically, Violanti walks us through the muddle that police departments themselves have created by their reluctance or refusal to acknowledge the problem and/or share data with researchers. Without realizing they are doing their officers a gross disservice, agencies continue to deliberately misclassify even the most obvious cases of suicide as "undetermined" or "accidental." This travesty, borne out of the antiquated view that police suicides caused by the trauma of the job are "disgraceful," robs us of the very information we need to effectively treat the problem.

With great candor, Violanti also addresses the tragedy of retiree suicides, which increase tenfold, and explores the lingering trauma as well as the deep sense of loss and separation felt by the now-civilian officer. He takes on the issue of domestic abuse, so often ignored in police families, and explores the increasing phenomenon of murder-suicides taking place in the police culture.

Additionally, the author explores, with both chilling and heart-warming commentary by Teresa Tate on how departments treat the survivors of police suicides. Too often, police departments continue to stigmatize the widows, refusing to assist at all in funerals, and denying officers permission to attend in uniform. Forgotten is that this was an officer who died from the pain and trauma incurred on the job and is as deserving of a hero's farewell as much as any other fallen comrade. Violanti offers an excellent set of departmental guidelines for supporting survivors, dealing with the media, and addressing the grief of the squad.

Finally, it was encouraging to see the author supporting the concept of improved cadet training to prepare cadets for what awaits them by providing them an insight to reality and, most importantly, giving them the tools to face trauma before it happens. This is crucial. As Violanti points out, "From the very first day in the police academy, recruit officers are told that they are someone unique, far different from the average citizen and certainly beyond psychological harm." This has been compared to the concept of "unique invulnerability" found in adolescents, and to refuse to adequately balance this with some realism beyond fluffy dog-and-pony shows is to continue the Prussian tradition of sending out young officers totally unprepared for the trauma to come--and without the resources to manage them.

There is much more in these 174 pages. It should be on every administrator's shelf, carefully read and dog-eared.

Andy O'Hara. Badge of Life suicide prevention program