CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The head of a group that seeks to reduce the suicide rate among Chicago police officers will be on a special mission across the city through Thursday.
Robert Swiderski is a mental health advocate, the son of a retired Chicago police officer, and director of the "Running for Blue Lives" program, which encourages officers to get counseling to help cope with the stresses they face on the job.
He'll be walking across the city to visit every police district to deliver messages of thanks and support to thousands of officers.
"We'll be walking a total of 80 miles delivering thank-you letters and cards to let our officers know that they are appreciated," Swiderski said. "We want to encourage them that they can seek help."
He said over the past month, his group has collected thousands of cards.
Swiderski said it's just part of a broader mission to reduce the unusually high suicide rate among Chicago police officers.
"The suicide rate among Chicago police officers is 200% higher than the U.S. population and 100% higher than the average police department across our country," Swiderski said.
He hopes the messages of support will encourage more Chicago police officers, who are overwhelmed by the stresses they face, to get the help they need.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255 or by dialing 988. More information can be found at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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