POLICE OFFICERS ARE FREQUENTLY CALLED ON TO DEAL WITH PERSONS SUFFERING FROM MENTAL ILLNESS. DEPRESSED PERSONS SHOW CHARACTERISTIC BEHAVIORS, STATEMENTS, AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. SOME SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS FEELINGS OF WORTHLESSNESS, ARE FOUND FREQUENTLY. OTHERS, SUCH AS SUICIDAL WISHES AN INTERFERENCE WITH PERSONAL GROOMING, VARY ACCORDING TO THE DEPTH OF DEPRESSION. SOME DEPRESSED PERSONS SHOW A PATTERN OF AGITATION AND RESTLESSNESS RATHER THAN ONE OF RETARDATION IN SPEECH AND MOVEMENT. EXTENSIVE STUDIES ON SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED, AND SCALES FOR ASSESSING SUICIDAL RISK HAVE BEEN COMPILED BY EVALUATING DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL INFORMATION. POLICE OFFICERS MAY BE THE FIRST TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE WHEN A PERSON IS THREATENING SUICIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE, THEY SHOULD CALL TO THE SCENE A CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM. CONCRETE STEPS TO TAKE IN DEALING WITH SUICIDAL PERSONS ARE TO KEEP THEM TALKING, USE THE TECHNIQUE OF REFLECTION TO COMMUNICATE EMPATHY, HELP THEM IDENTIFY AND CLARIFY THEIR PROBLEMS, ALWAYS ACTIVELY TAKE THE SIDE OF LIFE, ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PERSON AND USE IT, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE SUICIDAL THREAT IS A CRY FOR HELP, AND AVOID THE USE OF HOSTILITY OR INDIFFERENCE. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT POLICE OFFICERS UNDERSTAND HOW THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM DEALS WITH SUICIDAL PERSONS SO THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE OR BE INVOLVED IN TREATMENT FOLLOWING THE PREVENTION OF SUICIDE. THE OFFICER'S RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE PROCESS OF COMMITMENT ARE DISCUSSED, AS WELL AS POTENTIAL DANGER TO POLICE OFFICERS IN SUICIDE CASES. DATA ABOUT CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPRESSION, INDICATORS OF SUICIDAL RISK, AND MYTHS AND FACTS CONCERNING SUICIDE ARE PROVIDED. REFERENCES ARE LISTED. (DEP) ANALYSIS IS ALSO INDICATED. A LIST OF ALREADY ESTABLISHED