Two NYPD Officers Die Of Apparent Suicides One Day Apart

Two New York Police Department officers have died one day apart after apparent self-inflected gunshot wounds.

Deputy Chief Steven Silks, executive officer of Patrol Borough Queens North, killed himself Wednesday near the police department where he worked, reported The New York Times. Police said he died of a self-inflicted wound.

Silks, 62, was a month away from retirement. He had been in the police department for 38 years, police Sgt. Lee Jones said, according to Fox News.

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A second officer, Joe Calabrese, 58, died Thursday. He was an NYPD Brooklyn South homicide detective, chairman for the Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) Board of Trustees and a union trustee.

Calabrese didn’t show up for work Thursday and was found when officers went to search for him, Fox News reported. He had been with the department for 37 years.

“I am shocked and shattered beyond belief,” said Michael Palladino, president of the DEA, told The New York Post. “Joseph Calabrese was a dedicated detective, union official, husband and father. He was the salt of the earth.”

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Police officer suicides have exceeded all line-of-duty deaths combined for three years in a row, according to Blue H.E.L.P., a non-profit organization run by current and retired officers. Officer suicides beat out line-of-duty deaths by 9% in 2018.

New York has one of the highest rates of officer suicides when compared to other major U.S. cities, Fox News said. In 2018, there were 159 police officer suicides according to Blue H.E.L.P. There have been 48 NYPD officer suicides over the past 10 years, NY Times reported.

Over 300 researchers and officers were brought together in April at Police Headquarter for a conference about officer suicide, NY Times said.

“We can’t hide from this discussion,” Mr. O’Neill said according to the NY Times. “We should not and we will not.”

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.