Clarke Paris has seen a lot in his 25 years as a Las Vegas police officer.

For the most part, he kept the pressures of the job hidden. But a few years ago, after investigating a teenager's suicide, he found himself crying in his car. Yet he didn't immediately seek help.

"I'd be doggone if I was gonna see a counselor," he said. "I was a cop."

But his breakdown got him thinking: If he was having a hard time, what were other cops going through? He teamed up with a small company, 100 Watt Productions, and the result was a documentary about police suicide titled "The Pain Behind the Badge."

"It was my passion," Paris said.

For about a year, he has been showing the film and gives presentations to law enforcement agencies around the country. Monday, he gave a seminar at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, sponsored by the Benton County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Diana Simpson said she heard about a seminar Paris gave several months ago in Portland, but it would have been expensive to send deputies there. So as a cost-saving measure, the BCSO brought Clarke here and invited Corvallis, Philomath and Albany police departments to attend and share the cost.

Paris' message to officers: They are not alone; help is available. Simpson said that was valuable to hear.

Tracking police suicides is difficult because suicides aren't necessarily classified as such in death investigations.

A recent study by the National Surveillance of Police Suicide Study reported that the suicide rate among the general population is 11 in 100,000. Last year, 141 police suicides were reported in the U.S. - a rate of about 17 per 100,000 people - despite the fact that police officers are screened for mental health issues.

Paris said that indicates how stress affects cops on the job.

"How does it not, when you go to see dead babies and raped 13-year-old girls and beaten women and beaten men and traffic accidents?" he said.

Simpson agreed that few law enforcement officers want to discuss those times when their job gets to them.

"I think that he's absolutely right when he says law enforcement (personnel) are very reluctant to admit they may not be able to handle everything," Simpson said. "They have to be in control, and they have to be strong, and they have to present that image to the public."

To help local law enforcement officers, the Benton County Sheriff's Office formed a peer support team about a year ago as part of the agency's plan to respond to deadly force incidents, Simpson said. The nine-person panel includes seven members of the Benton County Sheriff's Office and two dispatchers.

"The idea is maybe law enforcement is more willing to speak to someone who is like them," Simpson said. The team also is available to help any employee - deputy, support staff, corrections officer - with problems, whether they are personal or professional.

The sheriff's office also has a crisis response team that is part of the Search and Rescue unit, a chaplain and an employee assistance program offered to all county employees.

"We have to really take care of ourselves," Simpson said, "and admit that sometimes, we need help."