The unseen stress and strain of our Uniformed Protectors
As both a former U.S. Marine and a Military Policeman this article written by Sue Epstein and Tom Haydon for the New Jersey Star-Ledger titled In rising numbers across N.J., troubled cops are killing themselves in which they reported “t he March 27 death of Sgt. David Powell, 46, marked at least the fifth time this year an active or retired officer had taken his life in New Jersey, putting the state on pace to eclipse last year’s grim tally of 13 suicides, according to records kept by Cherie Castellano, the founder and director of a state-sponsored counseling service known as Cop2Cop. Nationally, more than 400 active and retired officers commit suicide each year, said Robert Douglas, executive director of the National Police Suicide Foundation. No single force can be linked to the increase, according to those who study the issue. Rather, it’s a combination of factors that includes the ready availability of firearms, the stresses inherent in police work...