After cluster of officer suicides, CPD’s former mental health adviser says city isn’t doing enough to help overworked cops

As Chicago police officers grapple with a spate of officer suicides, the department’s former welfare adviser denounced the practice of canceling days off as “inhumane” and called for a sweeping plan to address psychological issues within the ranks.

The latest tragedy occurred on Saturday, when a sergeant suffered an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. He died on Sunday, police said in a statement.

“We ask that the city hug this sergeant’s loved ones as they mourn his loss,” according to the statement. “Please also take a moment to pray for the men and women of CPD, who are grieving alongside this sergeant’s family.”

Two other officers had already died in similar circumstances this month. Durand Lee, 42, was pronounced dead on Friday. Patricia Swank, 29, died on June 2.

Alexa James, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Chicago, was initially appointed in September 2020 as the department’s senior wellness adviser, shortly after Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, 57, shot himself in his office.

He said he resigned about a year later, fearing he was adding “very little value” even though his organization still trains officers at the police academy and consults with the department “on everything related to mental health.” She said officers have recently complained that they “feel like a number” after having their days off canceled, a controversial practice that has been used to address the department’s deep-seated staffing issues.

“I think what is happening is inhumane,” he said. “And I’m certainly not linking [regular day off] cancellations to increase suicides, but we know this is the pattern.”

Suicides tend to spike between May and October, “and this is what we see reflected in the Police Department,” according to James, who said some officers are already at high risk of suicide because they are middle-aged men with access to guns. dealing with significant trauma and stress.

She pushed for a new strategy that would allow officers to “have a break,” noting that being overworked is “hugely impactful” on their mental health. Losing sleep affects decision-making, she said, and limiting personal time can increase stress levels and reduce opportunities to address trauma officers’ experience on the job.

“They really see these horrible trigger events all the time that they have escalated,” he said. “And when he has accumulated levels of trauma and he doesn’t have the opportunity to report unless he is forced to, it is more and more likely that he will develop stress disorders, depression [and] anxiety.”

While James credited a plan to hire more counselors for officers, he insisted it won’t “mitigate decades of disinvestment in wellness.” She called for a “comprehensive strategy” that parallels the department’s public safety plans and makes treatment accessible, taking into account time off between shifts and ensuring officers have the skills to engage loved ones in his work.

Spokespeople for Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Superintendent. David Brown did not immediately respond to inquiries from the Chicago Sun-Times, although both responded when asked about the canceled days off.

“Look at the unbelievable number of furlough days, personal days, and other things that officers have by contract,” Lightfoot said last month. “This notion, I think the infamous FOP chief has said as part of his campaign, ‘They’re being worked like mules,’ is just not correct.”

In a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday, the Police Department said its members “are in the midst of the most difficult and challenging time to be a police officer in this country. Officer well-being and overall mental health is our top priority.”

added light foot: “Know that we hear you and are working tirelessly to ease the mental and physical burden on our police officers.” Both she and the Police Department advised officers to seek the same clinical services that James said are inadequate.

In the wake of Officer Lee’s death, Catanzara said the union “can always do a better job of taking care of our brothers and sisters and trying to pay attention to potential moments of crisis.”

To be more accommodating, he said, the union renovated one floor of the FOP shelter specifically for counseling services. However, he claimed the city “did nothing to comply,” and the department’s counseling division has refused to use the offices.

“It’s a joke,” he said, adding that the union now plans to bring in a counselor to lead the sessions.