# PA Trooper's suicide reflects grim reality for police



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

BY MONICA VON DOBENECK
*Of Our Palmyra Bureau*

ANNVILLE - A state police trooper found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound yesterday had spent part of the previous day assisting a protection detail for Laura Bush during a campaign rally in Bucks County. 
Chad Geiger, 34, of North Cornwall Twp., was off duty when he apparently shot himself in the head between 11 p.m. Tuesday and 12:30 a.m. yesterday while his truck was parked on Church Road near Route 934 in South Annville Twp., police said. 
Geiger, a dog handler for the state police's Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations in Derry Twp., had been a trooper for about 10 years, said Capt. James Torkar, the unit's commander.

"When it strikes this close to home, obviously everyone is stunned," Torkar said. "You have to wonder what would make somebody do something so drastic." 
While those who knew and worked with Geiger are looking for a reason, the fact is that suicide is the leading cause of death among law enforcement officers, said Robert Douglas, executive director of the National Police Suicide Foundation. 
Three times as many police officers die by suicide as are killed in the line of duty, Douglas said. 
Relationship difficulties are a major factor in police suicides, Douglas said. He said officers are often not trained to make the transition from work, where they have to be in control, to home. 
Employee assistance programs can be helpful, but some officers are afraid to approach such programs for fear of jeopardizing their jobs, he said. Officers sometimes see seeking help as a sign of weakness or cause for embarrassment, he said. 
Geiger began his state police career as a patrol officer in the Hazleton area and moved to the canine unit about 31/2 years ago, Torkar said. 
Geiger and his bomb-sniffing Belgian Malinois investigated reports of bombs, searched schools, looked for guns used in crimes and protected dignitaries, as he did Tuesday while Bush was campaigning for a Bucks County representative, according to Torkar.

Torkar said Geiger was divorced, but did not seem to have problems and had not had problems at work. He described Geiger as "very competent" and quiet. 
"If you could get two words out of him, you were lucky," Torkar said. "He just did his job." 
Jack Lewis, a spokesman for the state police, said for the past 20 years the agency has offered a member assistance program for officers with mental health concerns.

Teresa Tate, the founder of Survivors of Law Enforcement Suicide, said there is no one cause for officers to take their lives. They might be stressed by their jobs, problems with relationships or lack of sleep. 
Police officers are taught "how to survive physically but not psychologically," she said. "The community can call 911 with a problem, but officers don't know who to turn to. I don't understand why this isn't addressed more."

MONICA VON DOBENECK: 832-2090 or [email protected]

*POLICE SUICIDES *

Suicide is the leading cause of death among law enforcement officers, according to the Maryland-based National Police Suicide Foundation (www.psf.org). 
More than 400 police officers nationwide have committed suicide this year, or one every 19 hours, according to the foundation. 
That equals a rate of 60 suicides per 100,000, which is five times higher than the rate among the general public.


----------

