Why Police Marriages Fail at Higher Rates — and What the Data Actually Shows

The statistic gets quoted at academy graduations and in retirement speeches like settled fact — police officers divorce at 70 percent, higher than almost any other profession. The research is considerably less settled. Here's an honest look at what the data actually shows, why the folklore figure persists anyway, and — more importantly — the specific mechanisms that consistently damage law enforcement relationships regardless of what the precise divorce percentage turns out to be.