A Chicago police officer was found dead in her home on Tuesday morning, according to authorities. This marks the third officer to have died this week, and the second who is believed to have died by suicide.
Police spokesman Tom Ahern gave an update on the discovery, saying that the 35-year-old appeared to have died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, CBS News reported. He added that a death investigation was underway.
The officer worked in the Central District and was found in her residence in the Grand Central District. She had worked for the city for five years.
The officer’s identity, was not shared by the department.
Just a day earlier, on Monday, a 45-year-old male officer was found unresponsive in a residence in the Jefferson Park District, the Chicago Tribune reported.
His cause of death is currently pending with the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Last week, another Chicago Police Department Officer, who had been inactive for more than a decade, was found inside her home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the department shared, the Tribune reported.
“Anytime we lose an officer it’s a stark reminder of the demands of the job and the sacrifices that are made by officers every day,” Ahern said. “The superintendent always underscores how important mental health is for officers. ... We always want to keep their families in our thoughts and prayers.”
Since 2018, there have been more than a dozen Chicago police officers who have taken their own lives, according to city officials.
The CPD has been under scrutiny since last summer when a former mental health adviser for the department called out practices that often saw officers’ days off be canceled.
The adviser said the department was “inhumane” for the actions, and a report from Chicago city inspector general Deborah Witzburg, released in August, found that nearly 1,200 officers were scheduled to work at least 11 days straight earlier this year.
This resulted in calls for change to address psychological issues that officers were facing.
Police Superintendent David Brown announced changes at the end of August, which looked to give officers more time off.
However, just days after Brown made his announcement, an active officer and one who had recently retired both died from suicide, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255 or by dialing 988, and more information can be found at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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