We know there are evil people lurking about and, unfortunately, they murder far too many cops every year. But the truth is that stress is far more likely to kill you than any bad guy.

According to FBI statistics, law enforcement officers are more likely to die of suicide than to be gunned down by a desperate criminal.

Incredibly, 300 officers die each year from self-inflicted fatal injuries. The tragic fact is that 22 officers per 100,000 people commit suicide every year compared to just 12 per 100,000 of the general population.

Why are cops nearly twice as likely to commit suicide than the general public?

It’s no secret that law enforcement duties are stressful. It’s simply the nature of our chosen profession.

Today, however, stress is even a greater factor for law enforcement professionals. We are seeing more racial tension, increases in citizen law suits, negative publicity and media scrutiny, strained economic situations – both personally and departmentally. In addition, airborne and blood-borne diseases are on the rise and there’s the ever-mounting threat of terrorism in our streets.

There are two primary sources of tension for cops – job stress and personal stress. We may see inhumane violence, neglected or abused children, suffering and death many times per day. We have to worry about being contaminated with contagious diseases. We are dissatisfied with supervisors, prosecutors, judges and juries. Our shifts are changed at a moment’s notice and we must adjust our lives to fit the needs of the department. Moreover, sometimes we are involved in traumatic events that leave us shaken up and left to contend with our emotions by ourselves.

Personal stress also takes its toll. We often don’t have enough time with our families, and our precious personal time is cut short by mandated court appearances and spur-of-the-moment needs of the department.

Being paid public sector wages, personal financial issues are almost always on our minds. Add in family disorder or violence, substance abuse and health problems and we have a recipe for serious problems.

The effects of stress are numerous. We can see signs of stress in an officer’s inefficiency, aggressiveness, or emotionally-driven decision making.

In addition, low morale, a negative attitude or even substance abuse can all result from serious stress.

A stressed-out police officer can have a seriously negative impact on the department. He or she can become a liability, bring down the morale of other officers or cause friction with supervisors and the command staff.

On a personal level, stress may be a catalyst for depression, domestic violence, anti-social behavior, health issues, cynicism, or substance abuse.

Left unchecked, stress can also lead to suicide.

There are several obstacles facing law enforcement officers who are trying to cope with stress. The brass may deny suicides are related to on-the-job stress, officers rarely get stress-related training, and often officers are reluctant to get help, fearing they will be suspended or fired. Moreover, many officers have a profound distrust of mental health professionals.

Many law enforcement agencies – especially smaller departments – do not provide mental health assistance or post-traumatic event programs for their officers. Inherent in the law enforcement community isthe belief that officers should "suck it up" when exposed to traumatic events.

The National Institute of Justice conducted research within a major U.S. law enforcement agency. Members of the agency were surveyed anonymously about stress- related issues. The results of that study indicated the following:

While stress may be a serious threat to law enforcement officers, it is far from being terminal. There’s a number of things you can do to cope with stress and mitigate its effects.

First, if an officer thinks the stress is becoming unmanageable, professional help should be sought before it becomes a life-threatening matter.

Therapy can be an extremely valuable way to begin to deal with one’s emotional problems but it takes a commitment of time and energy.

Simple ways that may help to reduce stress include meditation, prayer or breathing techniques.

Purging negative thoughts and choosing to think positively can be helpful as well.

Get rid of bad habits – tobacco, drinking or other substances.

Open up to close friends or family members about your experiences or problems. Just getting things off your chest does a lot to relieve stress. Perhaps one of the most beneficial things to do is to simply take some time off and get away from work. Spending quality time with the family or working on a hobby or project can work wonders in eradicating stress.

Departmental administrators and supervisors should feel an obligation to assist their officers during a stressful time. Agencies need to establish a post-traumatic event program where an officer is carefully processed in such a way that the stress from the incident can be vented without negative effects.

Officers should be offered "no strings attached" counseling and have a chaplaincy corps available to them. Supervisors need to be trained in detecting indications of stress so that it can be addressed long before it becomes a problem. Simple things like flexible scheduling and job assignments, offering time off and issuing certificates or letters of commendation for good deeds can be great tools in stress relief.

Many of these strategies can be easily implemented by law enforcement administrators at little or no cost to tight budgets.

Being a cop is undoubtedly one of the most stressful professions. The key to success in stress resolution is for the officer, fellow officers and supervisors to recognize that there is a problem and work diligently to resolve it before it becomes a matter of life or death.