According to Chicago police, seven officers have died by suicide since Jan. 1. A local doctor said officers are dealing with many troubling issues, including witnessing violence consistently, depictions of their profession in the media and feeling like they do not have adequate support. NBC 5’s Christian Farr reports.
Another Chicago police officer has died by apparent suicide, the third in a week, according to officials.
The officer died at his home Thursday morning in the Chicago Lawn District on the Southwest Side, according to police department spokesman Tom Ahern. It is believed he took his own life.
No other details have been released.
Lightfoot addressed the officer’s death briefly following a news conference to update the public on COVID-19 figures in the city ahead of the holidays.
“Unfortunately this morning, we had a CPD officer who, all accounts are, took his life,” Lightfoot said.
“What I will say is this: this is a tough time. This season. For everyone,” she said. “I think it’s an especially hard time for those who are struggling with depression, with mental health issues. And it’s important for us to make sure that when we know someone is having struggles, that we that we don’t ignore it. That we reach out. That we offer our own assistance and just to be a listening ear.
“Sometimes these conversations are difficult but they’re ones that are absolutely necessary and could be life-saving,” she added.
Local
Just two days earlier, an off-duty Chicago police officer was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The female officer had been on the force five years and had been working as a tactical officer in the 1st District downtown, Ahern previously said.
On Dec. 15, a 58-year-old female officer was found dead in the 5800 block of North Northwest Highway, also of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
City and police officials, as well as the Fraternal Order of Police, have all sought ways to address to address mental health issues affecting officers in a department that has seen more than a dozen suicides since 2018.
Officers are often exposed to trauma through their work, but family members of officers who have taken their own life have also decried a practice of routinely canceling officers’ days off.
The department has sought to address those policies in an effort to give officers more time off. The announcement of changes in late August came a day after the city’s inspector general, Deborah Witzburg, criticized the department in a report that found nearly 1,200 officers had to work at least 11 straight days earlier this year.
