All ministries in the Federal Republic of Germany responsible for police organizations were requested to provide the latest figures on suicides of police officers and for the average number of active police officers. Reasons for the suicides were also requested. All ministries replied to the questionnaire. Suicide figures for the States that provided information were calculated for the last available year. In order to increase the reliability of the estimation of the suicide risk, a "mean" suicide rate was calculated for all States based on the data from the last available year, as well as data from the last 5 years. The survey yielded different results for the various types of law enforcement agencies. Generally, only slightly increased suicide rates for police officers were found compared with the rate for the general male population of the same age group in Germany. The mean rate for the last available year for the active police officers 17- to 60-years-old in eight States was 26.4 per 100,000 per year. The general rate for the male population of the same age group was 24 per 100,000 per year. It was difficult to assess whether the motives for the suicides derived from police work itself (as is often implied in the U.S. studies) or from the stress of organizational problems or personal stresses outside of the occupation. Perhaps the best model for explaining suicide motives would encompass work stress/job satisfaction and personal problems/motives. 1 table