As Chicago welcomes Larry Snelling as our new police superintendent, it’s a critical time to reflect on the enormous stress shouldered by first responders — police, firefighters and their many colleagues. Seven Chicago police officers died by suicide last year, a shocking but not surprising number given the following statistics.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 1 in 3 first responders develop PTSD, compared to 1 in 5 people in the general population; and nearly 37% of EMS personnel and firefighters have considered suicide, a rate nearly 10 times that for average Americans.
