Civil unrest

In many ways, for first responders this disease added more work to their already stressful and difficult load. A recent study on the stigma on first responders during COVID-19 pointed to an increased sense of isolation, stigmatization, and lack of support they experienced. The same study also found that people working in jobs involving higher risk of exposure to coronavirus reported a decrease in social interactions, accompanied by an increase in refusal by others to socialize with them; they also reported feeling dirty or infected (Zolnikov & Furio, 2020). During a time of increased stress, losing social support and interaction further deprived these men and women of vital assistance in time of need. Throughout 2020, first responders were also worried about transmitting the disease to their loved ones and felt pressured to maintain physical distance from friends and family. This unique and troubling experience put excessive pressure on first responders. It has been shown that isolation has been linked to anxiety, restlessness, emptiness, marginalization, decreased sleep, decreased immunity and inflammatory control, and higher morbidity rates (Cacioppo, Hawkley, Norman, & Berntson, 2011). In addition to the anxiety and isolation caused by the pandemic, first responders were faced with tumultuous times of civil unrest in 2020.

When analyzing suicide deaths of law enforcement officers over time, it is important to examine the events that took place during the same period. Several such events involved law enforcement in 2020, including the shooting deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Duante Wright, which exacerbated racial and civil unrest nationwide. This unrest resulted in protests and destructive riots (Carnegie Empowerment for International Peace, 2020), in millions of dollars in property and other damage, lives lost, and assaults on thousands of officers (FBI, 2019-20). In the wake of the unrest, officers were pushed to the limit, both physically and emotionally. The anti-police sentiment and backlash led to record numbers of retirements and resignations (Sutton, 2021).