Chicago Police Officer Suicide Rate 60% Higher Than Others

Chicago police officer suicide rate 60-percent higher than other departments
FOX 32 News
October 1, 2018

In a FOX 32 special report: a hidden battle behind the badge.

The tragic trend of police suicides is hitting home in Chicago, with officers taking their own lives at alarming rates.

FOX 32’s Elizabeth Matthews explains why the numbers are higher here than anywhere else.

“He wanted to help everybody, he wanted to help the world, not only certain people. He started noticing, after high school, how bad the world is, and his mission in life was to fix it,” said Ark Maciaszek.

Ark describes his cousin Scott Tracz as loud and passionate, with a big heart. Scott served as a Chicago police officer, working in some of the city's toughest neighborhoods.

“Once he got on it, this guy was 100 percent devoted to it. He said this is it. This is what I want to do. This is how I'm going to fix this,” Ark said.

But at age 30, the job began to take its toll on Scott, and Ark began asking questions.

“I wanted more details so I started asking him, and he would never tell me. He said - this is not the right time, this is not the right time to talk,” Ark said.

Ark says his cousin became quiet and distant.

“He'd seen some bad things happening to good people. He couldn't understand why,” Ark said. “He would never mention the word suicide, or harming himself. That's not Scott.”

But on December 27th, 2016 - his family's worst fears were realized.
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