Suicide By Cop
Published 7/25/22
Imagine a person in a mental health crisis on the street. Somebody calls the police, and when they arrive the person is brandishing a sword, threatening people. His coworkers say he has been despondent lately. Or imagine a perpetrator of domestic violence, intoxicated and yelling “Go ahead. Kill me!”
If the police kill a person in these situations, the police might label it “suicide by cop.” They are shifting their responsibility for the death to the victim. However, it is their job to de-escalate – buy time, make distance, find cover, call for support – not to kill people.
“Suicide by cop” is a term used by police officers for incidents in which an individual, appears to “force” the police to use deadly force against them. Why does this concept feel like fingernails on a blackboard? Police should stop using this label. It is harmful.
During the Charleena Lyles inquest, an attorney for the police made an audacious statement that it was “suicide by cop.” Disability Rights Washington was moved to say, “No one wants to be in a place of pain so deep and overwhelming that they experience suicidal ideations, this is never a choice. But police did have lots of options to choose from.” Read the full statement here.
“Suicide by cop” is never an official cause of death. In 2021, the state legislature passed an expansive law (HB 1310) setting out an officer’s “duty to use reasonable care.” You can read here the emphasis on using the least amount of force necessary, to call for back up if necessary, and to take into account whether a person is displaying signs of a mental or behavioral impairment.
When you hear ‘suicide by cop,’ ask, “What really happened here?” “What response by law enforcement might have saved rather than destroyed a life?”
Suicide prevention is work we must all be ready to do.
