RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, suicide is a public health issue that affects people from all backgrounds and its impacts are far-reaching emotionally and economically, affecting families, friends, coworkers, and communities; and
WHEREAS, though the safety of law enforcement officers is paramount to all local and state governments, with the focus placed on their physical safety and wellness, the mental health and well-being of officers fails to receive the same focus and resources within the world of officer safety; and
WHEREAS, every year, more police officers take their own lives than are killed in the line of duty; and
WHEREAS, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and results from the 2012 National Study of Police Suicides, law enforcement officer deaths by suicide were twice as high compared to traffic accidents and felonious assaults during 2012; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, suicide claimed the lives of 108 police officers throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) ofthe United States Department of Justice issued a report on law enforcement suicide and mental health that will serve as a national strategy for suicide prevention by helping departments recognize the early warning signs and prevention protocols for at-risk officers; and
WHEREAS, the COPS report identifies stress points that can be attributed to the higher rate of law enforcement suicides and attempts of suicide: the exposure to horrific crime scenes and events, shift work causing sleep deprivation, facing an internal affairs investigation, and the accumulation of chronic stress from domestic violence calls, apprehension of criminals and assisting victims of crimes; and
WHEREAS, it is our duty as members of the Chicago City Council to prioritize both the physical and mental well-being of our officers and as a result improve relations with the public they serve and provide personal and professional fulfillment to the men and women wh...
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