Latest Police Officer Death Brings NYPD's Suicide Total To 8 This Year
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Tragedy struck at the NYPD again after another officer has died of an apparent suicide.
He is the eighth officer believed to have taken his own life this year, reports CBSN New York's Andrea Grymes.
The latest NYPD suicide involves a 7-year veteran, temporarily assigned to Yankee Stadium.
He is the latest NYPD officer to take his own life so far this year, what NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan calls a very large number.
"There are stresses of the job and your personal life, compounds by a weapon you have on your hip," said Monahan on the radio Tuesday morning. "We've started the conversation. We're bringing in what outside resources we can into the agency to talk to our cops."
The eight suicides so far this year is double the total number from all of last year.
Last month the department launched a task force to prevent officer suicides.
Peer support teams were also starting to go around to police precincts.
The Police Benevolent Association tweeted today that suicide solves nothing, adding in part that cops are under siege, the job created this monster and "it won't get better unless we stick together."
Law enforcement officers in crisis should reach out for help by texting "BLUE" to 741741 and see the list of other resources on nypdnews.com/blue741741/.
