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A New York police officer committed suicide on Friday, marking the third suicide suicide since last week.
The unidentified officer died in front of a New York police station in Staten Island, marking the third police suicide over the past nine days, according to NBC New York.
Deputy Chief Steven Silks, 62, was just days away from retirement when he was found dead on June 5th in Queens. Silks served the department for nearly 39 years and was described last week as one of the most knowledgeable and reliable police officers in the department by NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill.
O'Neill urged agents to talk to someone and ask for help from the department's resources.
"For the cops here today, I need you to know that help is available to you," said O Neill. "The help is there, you are never alone – what seems unbearable today will be more manageable tomorrow."
Brooklyn detective Joseph Calabrese, 58, was reportedly missing the day after Silks died after his car was found on Belt Parkway in Sheepshead Bay. Calabrese was later found dead in Plumb Beach, reported NBC New York.
Calabrese was a homicide detective in Brooklyn South and a 37-year-old department veteran. He was also chairman of the Detectives' Endowment Association, according to NBC New York.
NYPD Department Head Terence Monahan posted a video on Twitter in which he described mental health conversations as "imperative" as law enforcement officers in the country battled suicide.
Monahan acknowledged that some officers feared that using departmental resources to discuss their mental health issues would hurt their careers. The chief encouraged these officers to talk to the family or to ask for help from outside.
"You can not internalize that, it's something you have to talk about," Monahan said.
If you or any of your acquaintances are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME at 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
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