Page 1 on average about 140 documented yearly: “Tracking Police Suicides, 2008, 2009,” The Badge of Life, undated, http://badgeoflife.com/suicides.php. These numbers also reflect those reported in the ongoing research of John M. Violanti, PhD, author of Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue (Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 2007).
Page 1 On average, 1 active duty soldier and 21 veterans: Melanie Haiken, “Suicide Rates among Vets and Active Duty Military Jumps — Now 22 Day,” Forbes.com, February 5, 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/02/05/22-the-number-of-veterans-who-now-commit-suicide-every-day.
Page 2 25 to 30 percent of police officers have stress-based physical health problems: Janice Wood, “Stress Creates Significant Health, Mental Risks for Police,” Psychcentral.com, July 12, 2012, http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/07/12/stress-creates-significant-health-mental-risks-for-police/41451.html.
Page 2 A 2007 research study by Harvard Medical School: Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam et al., “Sleep Disorders, Health, and Safety in Police Officers,” Journal of the American Medical Association 306 no. 23 (December 21, 2011), http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104746.
Page 15 Alcohol abuse among U.S. police officers: Elizabeth A. Willman, “Alcohol Use among Law Enforcement,” Journal of Law Enforcement 2, no. 3 (2012), www.jghcs.info/index.php/l/article/view/150/146.
Page 16 39 percent of veterans screened positive: Join Together staff, “Active-Duty Military and Veterans Prone to Substance Abuse, Depression, and Suicide,” Drugfree.org, January 26, 2012, www.drugfree.org/join-together/alcohol/active-duty-military-and-veterans-prone-to-substance-abuse-depression-and-suicide.
Page 16 29 percent of active duty firefighters: International Association of Firefighters, “Alcohol and Drug Use, Abuse and Dependence,” undated, www.iaff.org/ET/JobAid/EAP/Drug_and_Alcohol_Use.htm.
Page 26 Consistent exercise will reduce your chances: Sheri R. Colberg et al., “Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes,” American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Care 33, no. 12 (December 2010), http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/12/e147.full.
Page 46 The study showed that officers with sleep disorders: Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam et al., “Sleep Disorders, Health, and Safety in Police Officers,” Journal of the American Medical Association 306 no. 23 (December 21, 2011), http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104746.
Page 50 Listening to music, especially slow, quiet classical music: Jane Collingwood, “The Power of Music to Reduce Stress,” Psychcentral.com, January 20, 2013, http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/000930.