Biden said being a cop is 'one hell of a lot harder than it's ever been' in speech honoring fallen

[Jedi Guy]

24. Yes it's rare, but it does happen.

And I can tell you, from conversations I've had with officers when I worked as a dispatcher, that it's always on their minds. I really can't say that I blame them, either.

Hell, it was pounded into us as dispatchers that if we hadn't heard from an officer in a while we were supposed to check in with them and make sure they were okay.

Regarding your last point about suicides, I definitely agree that mental health issues among police need more attention. My department did extensive psychological testing before hiring, even for dispatchers and other non-sworn personnel. Dispatchers never got a "check up" talk with behavioral sciences, though, and I don't know if the officers got one.

I feel like every officer should have a mental health evaluation every so often, say every six months or so. Just so the shrinks can touch base with them and get an idea of what's going on in their heads. Things like that might help.