Alarms Sound After 6 Chicago PD Suicides In 8 Months
LAPPL News Watch
March 25, 2019
A dozen or so police officers gather once every month in the basement of an office building and talk — about handling holidays with families, about nightmares so bad they are reluctant to share a bed at night.
Most of the officers were involved in a shooting while on duty, and here they share stories of what that has meant. Sometimes they cry. “This is what trauma looks like,” says Carrie Steiner, a former Chicago cop turned therapist who runs the counseling center. “This is what PTSD looks like.”
Responding to that trauma is now a top challenge for the Chicago Police Department, where alarms are sounding after six officers killed themselves over the last eight months.
Last week, after the most recent suicide, Superintendent Eddie Johnson convened a small meeting of command staff and told them officer wellness was now his priority.
1 comment:
Good for Chief Johnson. Officer stress has taken a back seat for years and needs to be brought to the attention of all police department administrators. The problem needs to be addressed through Federal grant money.
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