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Off-duty Chicago police officer found dead of apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound

By Tom Schuba
Published  December 20, 2022 1:04pm CST
Chicago Police Department
Sun-Times Media Wire

CHICAGO - If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (tel:18002738255). Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line)

CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.

An off-duty Chicago police officer was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday morning, less than a week after the apparent suicide of another officer.

The officer was found in a home on the West Side, according to police spokesman Tom Ahern. She had been on the force for five years and had been working as a tactical officer in the 1st District downtown.

No other details were released by the department.

More than a dozen suicides have been reported in the Chicago police department since 2018, at least seven this year.

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This past summer, the department’s former mental health adviser had decried the practice of routinely canceling officers’ days off as "inhumane" and called for a sweeping plan to address psychological issues within the ranks.

Police Supt. David Brown announced changes in late August aimed at giving officers more time off. The policy shift came just a day after Inspector General Deborah Witzburg issued a scathing report showing the department scheduled nearly 1,200 officers to work at least 11 straight days earlier this year.

Within days of Brown’s announcement, an active officer and a recently retired cop both died by committed suicide.

If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (tel:18002738255). Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line)

CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.