Although there can be no definitive answer to why people seek "suicide-by-cop" (SBC), those who have survived such suicide attempts have reported that they wished to kill themselves but did not have the will to complete the act by their own hand. In almost every case, the subject would deliberately commit a criminal act in the knowledge that police officers would come to the scene. In the initial response, which usually involves patrol officers, the officers must seek adequate cover, and they must use whatever force is necessary to defend themselves and others from being harmed or killed by the subject intent on committing suicide. Officers must be aware that a person determined to commit suicide may go so far as to shoot an officer or a hostage in order to force officers to shoot him or her. Once officers have assumed positions of adequate cover and have determined that no bystanders are in imminent jeopardy, the situation can be assessed to determine whether they are faced with an SBC incident, an individual who is deranged and bent on committing random acts of violence, or a felon interrupted in the commission of a crime. The author lists some criteria officers can use in determining whether or not they are involved in a SBC incident. Mullins and McMains (1996) outlined three basic and primary goals when dealing with suicidal persons: establish rapport with the subject; assess the violence and suicide potential; and instill hope. This article provides details on a negotiation strategy in SBC incidents. The final section of the article focuses on the organizational response to SBC incidents. Attention is given to the use of specially trained crisis negotiators coupled with tactically trained and equipped personnel and the creation of employee or peer support groups to assist officers forced to kill a subject. A proactive and accessible public information official is also important in SBC incidents. 1 figure