Chicago police sergeant has died by apparent suicide
Chicago IL March 15, 2022
A Chicago police sergeant has died by apparent suicide in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the South Side, the department announced Saturday afternoon.
“Early this morning, the member was discovered inside a residence located in the 22nd police district,” police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement.
The sergeant’s name was not released.
The cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner but at this time the death appears to be an apparent suicide, the statement said.
With a ‘heavy heart’ an investigation was being conducted, according to the statement, which added: “The loss of an officer is a stark reminder of the many sacrifices and demands members of law enforcement face each and every day. This tragic situation underscores the importance of prioritizing our mental and emotional health and wellbeing.”
If the medical examiner’s office rules the sergeant’s death a suicide, it would be at least the fourth Chicago police officer to take their own life since 2021 and at least the 13th since 2018.
On July 14, 2021, Officer Christian Furczon was discovered in the parking of an elementary school in the 6100 block of South Melvina Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Furczon, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:35 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which said Furczon died by suicide.
On March 5, 2021, Jeffrey T. Troglia, 38, died after shooting himself inside his home in the city’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Far Southwest Side, authorities said. He had about 15 years on the job and was assigned to a gang team.
Four days earlier on March 1, Town Hall District Officer James Daly, 47, shot himself to death in a locker room inside the district’s police station, 850 W. Addison St., on the North Side. A 21-year Chicago police veteran, Daly worked the overnight shift and was expected to retire that week, sources have said.
Daly’s and Troglia’s deaths came about seven months after a high-ranking Chicago police official, Dion Boyd, was found shot to death by suicide in his office in the Homan Square police facility on the West Side.
The Chicago Police Department’s problem with officer suicides was highlighted in a 2017 report by the U.S. Justice Department regarding the city’s policing practices. At that time, one Chicago police official told the Justice Department that CPD’s suicide rate was higher than the national average among police.
