At 3:50 pm On Friday afternoon, a 29-year-old New York City police officer was shot dead outside the Staten Island Police Station where he was working.

This was a disturbing trend: three suicides by New York police officers in 10 days – and the fourth this year.

The situation in New York is part of a national problem. Last year, for the third year in a row, police officers who committed suicide were more numerous than the others.

The series of tragedies in New York prompted NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill to make a call for action and encourage fellow police officers to not be afraid to ask for a copy. help if they needed it.

"It's a mental health crisis," tweeted O'Neill on Friday night. "And we – the police and the law enforcement community as a whole – have to do it – it can not go on – the cops spend so much time helping others." no shame in asking for help among the many resources available, both inside and outside the department.

"Accepting help is never a sign of weakness," he added. "In fact, it's a sign of great strength."

The New York police did not reveal the name of the last police officer who died by suicide.

A funeral was held Monday for Steven Silks, a 62-year-old deputy police chief who was killed and killed in a car on June 5th. The New York Times reported that Silks, a 38-year-old departmental veteran, had parked his car. in a quiet street just hours after the announcement of his mandatory retirement. He fired a bullet near the place where his retirement ceremony would have taken place.

His death has done a lot in the department.

"Steve was really one of the most competent and reliable police officers this job has ever seen," said O. Neill. "His entire career, in fact a big part of his adult life, has been devoted to New York City, its police officers, the fight against crime and the protection of all people that we serve."

The day after Silks' death on June 6, Inspector Joseph Calabrese, 58, was reported missing. A member of the force for 37 years, Calabrese's car was found near Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, the New York Times reported. After a massive search, he was found dead in the nearby bushes of Plumb Beach, shot in the head.

"Detective Joseph Calabrese has ensured the safety of New Yorkers for nearly four decades," police chief Terance Monahan tweeted after his funeral on Wednesday. "Loved by fellow police officers, Joe's loss is difficult for all NYPD members, and when he's resting peacefully, our prayers are with his family, Joe's death sparked a conversation, we all have to keep going." #StopSuicide

In 2018, 159 American police officers committed suicide, according to the BlueH.E.L.P., a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, which tracks officer suicides while seeking to prevent such tragedies.

That's 9% more than the 144 service deaths that occurred in 2018. Among these are causes such as criminal assault, patrol car accidents, heart attacks and related illnesses. at work.

"As tragic as these deaths are due to duty, the biggest cause of death for law enforcement officers is suicide each year," said Jeff McGill, co-founder of Blue HELP, when the group released the 2018 numbers .

Last year, the number of suicides was the 159 who lost their lives in 2017. In 2016, 140 US police officers committed suicide.

Blue H.E.L.P. is working to expand police access to mental health services.

Its organizers say 151 suicides last year were men and eight women. The average age was 41 years and the average length of service in the police was 15 years.

But according to Steven Hough, co-founder of Blue H.E.L.P., the number of police suicides is probably higher.

"The problem is that we know that there are other tragic deaths by suicide whose existence we do not know about," Hough said early in the year. "As bad as we have been this year, we are saddened by the fact that we actually know that the number is higher."

Join Joey Garrison at [email protected] and Twitter @joeygarrison.

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