Our mission at Cops Alive is “Saving the lives of the people who save lives.” I’ve shared many times about the many hidden dangers of law enforcement. We’re reminded of the 73 officers murdered each year, but we rarely acknowledge the 400 plus officers who take their own lives each year by suicide.
The list of stressors that lead cops to commit suicide is long, but one that certainly plagues a great number of us is stress and worry about money. Financial mismanagement does not always lead to suicide, but it’s definitely a contributor.
We train hard and allocate resources to shooting and unarmed tactics, yet ignore the more probable risk factors like alcohol abuse, marital problems and personal finance issues. Stress at home distracts cops from doing their job effectively, opening them up to greater risks on the streets.
We ought to use the same strategies to manage the hidden risks that we do to plan tactical situations. For example, imagine how… our lives would be change if we planned our finances with the same vigor as we plan bank robbery scenarios.
I suspect one of the reasons we as police officers ignore money, but will plan for a shooting, is because money and investing can to be boring. There is no denying that money management ranks up there with CPR training—not high on the interest list—but ignoring the problem only makes it worse.
I recently had the privilege of reading a book about money and investing from Retired Officer Chuck Rylant. The book is by a cop, about a cop, and for cops and it’s anything but boring. In fact, I was hooked from the moment I picked it up. Let’s walk our talk and start looking after ourselves and our peers. If not for yourself, get it for your partner, your family, or someone in your police family. This book can truly save your financial life!
Chuck used an entertaining story about a narcotics detective and wove practical money strategies into the story. It’s very well done. I can’t recommend the book enough which is why I’m ecstatic that CopsAlive has partnered with Chuck to give the book away Free to fellow cops during National Police Week.
Get the Book Free during National Police Week May 13-19th, 2012.
Only readers of CopsAlive.com can get a free copy of “How to be Rich: The Couple’s Guide to a Rich Life Without Worrying About Money” shipped to your house. Chuck said he will cover the costs of the book and only asked that you help out with the shipping and handling.
You can get your free copy by using the link below, but you will need to use the special access code “copsalive”
Check out the 5-star book at Amazon and you will see the 52 positive reviews. I know you will get a lot from the book, so I’m so happy to be able to provide this generous offer to readers of CopsAlive.com.
You can order your FREE COPY HERE.
CopsAlive is written to prompt discussions within our profession about the issues of law enforcement career survival. We invite you to share your opinions in the Comment Box that is at the bottom of this article.
CopsAlive.com was founded to provide information and strategies to help police officers successfully survive their careers. We help law enforcement officers and their agencies prepare for the risks that threaten their existence.
We will help your agency create the kind of place that supports and protects officers so that they can do their jobs better, safer, longer and survive to tell their grand kids all about it.
We do this by Helping Law Enforcement professionals plan for happy, healthy and successful lives on the job and beyond. We think the best strategy is for each officer to create a tactical plan for their own life and career. We call this Tactical Wellness planning.
The Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) works with individuals and organizations to help them create and sustain success in their lives and careers as law enforcement professionals. It is the primary goal of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute to become the preeminent source for training, resources and information about how to create and sustain a happy, healthy and successful life and career while providing superior law enforcement service to your community.
At The Law Enforcement Survival Institute we train law enforcement officers to cope with stress and manage all the toxic effects and hidden dangers of a career in law enforcement.
We provide stress management and Tactical Wellness for police officers and other law enforcement professionals.
CLICK HERE to read more about The Law Enforcement Survival Institute.
CLICK HERE if you would like to contact us to learn more about training for your organization.
I’m John Marx, Founder of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute and the Editor of CopsAlive.com. Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Thank you for your kind comments and please let us know if we can do anything else to help you in your endeavors!
I’m just dropping a note to say I happened on this site while gathering materials in preparation for establishing a stress management program for law enforcement officers and their families in a small rural county. I appreciate the leads I got here.
“Saving the lives of the people who save lives.” Right, being killed by people’s enemy are the one’s who saves life. While the people who commit suicide are needed to be are enough to make their jobs effective.