CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- After two Chicago police officers took their own lives last week, the Chicago Police Department announced Wednesday that they were hiring Alexa James, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Chicago, as their senior adviser of wellness.
James will continue to serve as CEO of NAMI Chicago and bring the talent of her team to support the people of CPD. According to the Chicago Police Department, she brings years of experience and deep institutional knowledge of mental wellness to the department in an effort to begin fostering a community of wellness for CPD internally and externally.
While her role as a consultant is new, James is no stranger to CPD. As CEO of NAMI Chicago, she has worked closely with the Department to advance Officer Wellness and Crisis Intervention Team training efforts. In this role, she will continue working alongside Professional Counseling Division and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Director Dr. Robert Sobo, focusing on supporting and implementing a strategy around building a culture of wellness within the Department and also the diverse communities CPD works to serve and protect.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming Alexa James to the Chicago Police Department where she will be working with our officers to foster wellness both within the department and the broader community,” said CPD Superintendent David O. Brown. “This past year has proved the vital importance mental wellness has in the lives of officers and community members, and we have full confidence that Alexa is the right person to bolster a better understanding of mental health and the resources available to our officers.”
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According to CPD, James will "focus on bolstering a better understanding of mental health and the resources available to members." She will work with key leaders in the Department, including Superintendent Brown, to "build strategy and implement changes that foster increased awareness and understanding of mental health." She will also help officers to learn and better utilize the resources available to them while assessing and addressing any current gaps. This internal work will then inform community interactions, fostering a broader culture of care throughout all of Chicago to better respond to mental health related calls and crises.
“I am pleased to be entering this role at the Chicago Police Department to build a culture of wellness and care for our police officers, which can then be used to inform interactions with residents and communities they serve,” James said. “This is a critical time to ensure that we are providing all the necessary resources and supports that people need for mental wellness, especially for those on the frontlines of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The announcement comes less than a week after 38-year-old Officer Jeffrey Troglia fatally shot himself in the basement of his Mount Greenwood home. Days earlier, another officer, 47-year-old James Daly, killed himself at the Town Hall police station on the North Side.
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Following the officers’ deaths — the 9th and 10th suicides in the department since 2018 —Brown said he was asking NAMI Chicago, where James has worked for nine years, to create a comprehensive “officer wellness strategy.”