Police officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty, according to a study from the Ruderman Family Foundation.

The report on mental health of first responders found that there were at least 103 firefighter suicides and 140 police officer suicides in 2017, compared to the 93 firefighters and 129 police officers who died in the line of duty.

You can read the study yourself. We have a link in the Related Links section.

College Station Police Chief Scott McCollum and Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske joined First News at Four to discuss how their departments are working to address this issue.

"We keep eyes on this on a regular basis," said McCollum. "The nature of the business that we're in, officers face a lot of trauma and parts of society that most professions don't see."

"Suicide is something that's on our minds, in terms of preventing it," Buske said. "It's the cumulative stress of the job."

Both chiefs say their departments have policies and programs in place to prevent suicide in their officers, such as regular health screenings and training for how to deal with the continued trauma of the work.

However, both also said there is room to grow.

"We're getting rid of the stigma, this idea that police officers have to be tough all the time," said McCollum. "We can continue that."

Buske agrees, and says as local departments learn more, there will be opportunities for bigger and better programs.

"We want to let new officers know that it's okay to tell someone," said Buske.