‘Suicide by Cop’ Cases Soared in ‘97, Study Finds

Shootings by peace officers in Los Angeles County in which individuals wanted to be killed--known as “suicide by cop”--jumped sharply last year, according to a study published Tuesday.

The research examined shootings between 1987 and 1997 by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, as well as by officers in some cities where shootings by local police are investigated by the department.

Cases in which suicide-by-cop shootings left individuals dead made up 27% of fatal officer-involved shootings in 1997, the study found.

Suicide-by-cop cases made up 25% of all officer-involved shootings--both fatal and nonfatal--last year, the study found. The rate was more than double that of the previous 10 years. The authors said they could not determine whether the sharp rise reflected an actual jump in such incidents, improved reporting methods or a combination.

The study was published Tuesday in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. The data could help police address personnel issues surrounding use-of-force cases and devise strategies to approach such incidents, said Dr. H. Range Hutson, a co-director of the study.