This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Three Chicago police officers committed suicide in the final weeks of 2022, adding to a troubling trend in recent years that several experts told Fox News Digital needs to be addressed more seriously in 2023.
A 51-year-old off-duty Chicago police officer committed suicide on the morning of December 22, marking the seventh suicide by a police officer of 2022 and the third since December 15. WLS-TV reported.
On the morning of December 20, a Chicago policewoman in her 30s was found dead in her home by suicide, and a 58-year-old policewoman was found dead by an apparent suicide on December 15.
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A 2017 Department of Justice investigative study found that Chicago Police Department officers are 60% more likely to die by suicide than the average police department officer.
(Chicago Police Department)
In the past four years, 20 Chicago police officers are believed to have committed suicide, and a 2017 Department of Justice investigative study found that Chicago Police Department officers are 60% more likely to die by suicide than officers the average police department.
“It’s a tragic trend that’s been going on for years,” retired Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told Fox News Digital, explaining that city leaders have engaged in a policy of “benign neglect ” that “it is costing people their lives”.
“What we have here is that we failed on two things,” Roy said. “We have a management flaw, and more importantly and more critically, we have a leadership flaw.“
Roy pointed to multiple examples of how leadership can make improvements, including what he says is a public waiting room where officers visiting the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) office have no privacy if they want to seek help for health issues. mental. Additionally, Roy said the department sent an email to each sworn officer on the day of one of the suicides informing them of the open allegations against them.
“Is that looking out for the best interests of our people?” Roy asked. “They’re already in the gutter. They’ve been kicked. Another friend, partner, co-worker has taken their own life, and you’re going to remind everyone? That shows a lack of sensitivity. That shows a lack of leadership skills and abilities “.
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Tania Glenn, a trauma therapist in the Austin, Texas area for 30 years and president of Tania Glenn and Associates, which specializes in providing mental health services to first responders and veterans, told Fox News Digital that police officers of Chicago face a “multifaceted” problem. set of circumstances and problems.
“[I]It’s like this perfect storm of trauma, stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, all coming together, and that’s what the Chicago Police Department is dealing with.”
“Chicago is a very, very hectic, busy, violent city, so officers are exposed to a lot of crime and criminal elements and critical incidents and then there’s staffing shortages,” Glenn explained. “I know, especially in Chicago, all the long shifts have been a real problem, along with working a lot of overtime.”
Fox News Digital exclusively reported in April that staffing levels at the Chicago Police Department had hit their lowest level in recent history at the same time the city was experiencing an increase in crime.
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Fox News Digital exclusively reported in April that staffing levels at the Chicago Police Department had hit their lowest level in recent history at the same time the city was experiencing a spike in crime.
(Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“When you take people who are exposed to a lot of stress and you also expose them for long periods of time, what happens is, of course, they’re in a constant state of fight or flight and their cortisol is pumping,” Glenn said. . “And when they’re off, it takes so long to decompress from that constant fight-or-flight engagement, but even when they’re off, they don’t sleep well.”
low staffing levels have contributed to scheduling problems in which officers’ days off were cancelled, along with long hours in which some officers resorted to sleeping in their cars between shifts.
“We’re also adding in the fact that there’s a lack of sleep because they’re working these really long shifts and they’re working a lot of overtime, and so it gets to the point where when human beings don’t get enough sleep, we’re not rational, our mental health suffers. completely,” Glenn told Fox News Digital. “And what happens over time is when people don’t get enough sleep, then they add fuel to the fire for things like depression and anxiety and when depression hits, it’s so cruel, it basically talks you into taking your own life and you convinces that no one will care, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“So it’s like this perfect storm of trauma, stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, all coming together, and that’s what the Chicago Police Department is dealing with.”
Roy told Fox News Digital that outreach to supervisors who interact with police on a daily basis is critical to addressing the problem and leadership to send a “loud and clear” message to supervisors who are in charge of hundreds of members of the police. personnel for whom they are responsible. and I owe it to the officers “ensure their emotional and mental health, as well as their physical safety”.
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Roy also suggested that leaders, from the police superintendent on down, visit the different precincts where these suicides have occurred and publicly show their support.
“Go on tour,” Roy said. “He goes to visit his people starting with the units where people have died and works backwards from the most recent ones where people are still injured and just goes back, and gradually he has to go see everyone. That’s the way The way you show people you’re sincere, you’re legitimate, and you care about their best interests.”
Glenn expressed a similar sentiment to Fox News Digital, explaining that one of the biggest hurdles officers face is overcoming the stigma associated with asking for help and the shame associated with asking superiors for help, making effective and discreet therapy easy. even more essential.
“I think every officer who gets good help wants to tell other officers to get that help, and if we can multiply how many officers get good care, they will be the biggest influence on other officers to seek help.” she said.
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The Chicago skyline, photographed from outside the Adler Planetarium in Chicago on March 1, 2020.
(Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Chicago Councilman Anthony Napolitano, who represents Chicago’s 41st District and served as a Chicago police officer for five years and a Chicago firefighter for 10 years, told Fox News Digital that the city can do more to provide relief resources. medical care for officers, including a pathway for officers suffering from PTSD to access “stellate ganglion block” and ketamine treatments, which he has been pushing for.
“I look forward to bringing this procedure to the city of Chicago to help fight the ongoing battle against suicide among first responders and all city workers,” Napolitano said, explaining that there are steps the city can take to make treatment, known as the “God shot” as well as other more readily available and affordable treatments for officers.
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“I was a police officer and a firefighter for the city of Chicago. I was chosen to fight for the people and I will not stand idly by,” Napolitano said.
Following the recent officer suicides, CPD Superintendent David Brown released a statement saying that “the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are everyday heroes who serve and protect with great honor and courage.”
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“Every day, they make the decision to put their own safety at risk to protect the people of our city. Our officers repeatedly respond to traumatic incidents and are not immune to the pain and cruelty surrounding these incidents. They do so while balancing their own lives and personal difficulties, which is why it is crucial that we strengthen and expand the resources and support systems for our officers,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office for comment and did not receive a response by press time.
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The Chicago Police Department directed Fox News Digital to an email sent by EAP to officers outlining the various resources available to them if they need mental health advice.
“These resources are here to ensure you have the support you need, whether you’re having a bad day, had a bad call, or are feeling in crisis,” the email read. “Our goal is to make sure all officers know the resources they can turn to for support. Remember you are never alone – make the call.”
