Apparent Police Suicide Raises Concerns Over Stress Of Job

An expert in law enforcement training says this week’s apparent suicide of a central Missouri sheriff is an example of what can happen to a cop faced with the problems of the job. Gary Maddox with the Law Enforcement Training Institute at the University of Missouri says there are many stressors that can push a law enforcement officer past the breaking point. Maddox says things are complicated by the fact that cops often face long periods of boredom punctuated by a few moments of intense activity. He says all this can combine to push an officer over the edge. Maddox says his institute tries to teach law enforcement officers how to handle the stress and how to recognize it in fellow officers. But he says, unfortunately, too many police are too good at keeping this kind of thing to themselves.