Danger at home and on the streets

More LAPD officers kill themselves than are killed in the line of duty. That from a study released yesterday:

Police officers in Los Angeles are more likely to take their own life than be killed by a criminal, according to a report presented today to the Police Commission. The data was included in a study by police psychologists who are in the process of retooling the agency’s suicide prevention program. The report said 19 Los Angeles police officers killed themselves between 1998 and 2007, while only seven died in the line of duty during that time.

This is not the least bit surprising considering a good deal of LAPD officers patrol quasi-war zones. Again, this is one of those times were we have to visualize something to fully comprehend it:

I would imagine, despite the tragedy of even one suicide, that 19 suicides over the course 9-10 years would be a very low rate compared to the general public and would probably speak volumes about the counseling and mental health programs at the LAPD.