As part of a larger investigation with The Associated Press, the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University obtained personnel files of officers involved in deaths after police used physical force or weapons that are not supposed to be lethal.
Police officers regularly experience traumatic events that, experts say, leave them vulnerable to mental health disorders, including depression and PTSD. One risk after a use-of-force death is that officers may quietly deal with trauma in ways that cause their performance or judgment to slip on the streets.
Yet overcoming the stigma of talking about mental health within police culture and addressing the needs of officers are topics rarely emphasized in the ongoing debate over policing.
Full story: The cumulative stress of policing has public safety consequences for law enforcement officers, too