Toledo Police Officer Found Dead at Home

Toledo officer found dead inside home in possible suicide

THE BLADE
February 26, 2019

A Toledo police officer was found dead inside of his home in western Lucas County on Tuesday during a welfare check by sheriff’s deputies.

Officer Jeffrey Payne, 53, did not report to work as scheduled on Tuesday, which prompted the welfare check, said Lt. Kevan Toney, spokesman for the Toledo Police Department. While the investigation by the sheriff’s office is ongoing, indications are that the death was a suicide.

An autopsy by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office is scheduled for Wednesday. The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

Officer Payne was hired by the Toledo Police Department on Jan. 24, 1997, and served in field operations most of his career, Lieutenant Toney said. Officer Payne was trained as a traffic accident reconstructionist and negotiator.
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NYPD Officer shot himself in police parking lot!

Cop fatally shoots himself in his car outside NYPD facility
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
By THOMAS TRACY and CHELSIA ROSE MARCIUS
APR 20, 2018

"Your job requires that you spend your day helping others. But before you can take care of anyone else, you must first take care of yourself, so please, remember, if you need it, help is here, and help is available," O'Neill said.

A troubled on-duty NYPD cop fatally shot himself while parked outside a department facility in the Bronx Friday, authorities said.

He's the fourth NYPD officer to take his own life in as many months, police said.

First responders rushed to an NYPD Auto Crime and Narcotics Division facility in Wakefield about 10:50 a.m., where the mortally wounded officer was found sitting in his personal vehicle in the parking lot.

Officers rushed him to Jacobi Medical Center, but he could not be saved. His name was not immediately disclosed.

Police sources said the cop worked in the Bronx, but it was not immediately clear if he was assigned to the Auto Crime and Narcotics Division.

Cops were first alerted to the incident by Mount Vernon police who had received a 911 call from a panicked relative, who said the cop was planning to harm himself, police sources said.

The cop is the fourth NYPD officer to take his own life this year.
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San Antonio Police Officer Served Multiple Tours In Combat--Life Ended in After Last Return

SAPD identifies officer found in apparent on-duty suicide
KCEN News
Apr 20, 2016

(KENS) - San Antonio police have identified an officer who they believe took his own life while on duty Monday morning.

Steven Franco, 38, was a 10-year SAPD veteran who also served multiple tours of combat in the U.S. military.

Franco was married to another SAPD officer and had children.

Police said Franco recently had returned from military duty and had bought a new home.
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Tuesday's officer suicide highlights mission of Chaplains for Justice
Program offers training, counseling for first responders
KSAT News
By Concetta Callahan - Anchor/Reporter
April 20, 2016

SAN ANTONIO - The newly formed Chaplains for Justice program aims to train and counsel first responders in difficult situations of grief, tragedy and post traumatic stress disorder.

Its mission is highlighted after San Antonio police Officer Steven Franco, 38, took his own life Tuesday in an apparent suicide.

"Seeing the difficult tragedies that occur and bringing people to justice, keeping our community safe, our law enforcement certainly goes above and beyond anything we could even begin to imagine," said Mary Beth Fisk, CEO and executive director at the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health.

The center provides counseling with a faith-based approach.

Fisk said traumatic situations can sometimes evolve into mounting stress.

Officer suicides aren't common in San Antonio, but the national numbers are higher. According to a recent study, just over 100 law enforcement officers intentionally took their own lives in 2015.
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What Do We Do When Responders Need Us?

When They Need Us
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 29, 2014

I have never had "good timing" showing up either too early or too late. Best way to explain that one is that I moved to Florida in 2004 right before Hurricanes Charley, Francis and Jeanne hit Central Florida in just six weeks.

When we were talking to the Realestate Agent about what we were looking for, one of the conditions was "no hurricanes" but the moving truck was long gone and the boxes had been trashed. The day after Charlie hit, we were down Home Depot buying plywood and stain. We drove down the street and our neighbors were making fun of the fact "we didn't have a hurricane in over 30 years but you guys buy plywood the day after" laughing at the stupid New Englanders.

When Francis was predicted to hit, they were standing in line to buy plywood. We were buying nails. When Jeanne was predicted to hit, they were using broken fences to cover their windows. We were buying more nails.

We're now facing Erika downgraded to tropical storm but no one knows for sure what will happen.

We're prepared to wait out the storm this time, just as we have been for every year after 2004 from June to November. While I don't spend too much time remembering that horrible year every season has been flashes of worrying it could happen again. It could have been worse if there were not emergency responders, firefighters, police officers and members of the National Guard willingly leaving their own families for the sake of the rest of us.

Hurricanes come with warnings while they are miles away and meteorologist have a general idea of where it will hit, when it will come and how strong the storm will be. If they aren't talking, we're not worrying.

It would be great if every traumatic event came with warnings and someone able to predict them so that folks could prepare ahead of time. Imagine how many people were able to get away from Hurricane Katrina because they were warned, able to leave and took the warnings seriously. We don't think about them because what happened in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama 10 years ago today.

The tropical depression that became Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and meteorologists were soon able to warn people in the Gulf Coast states that a major storm was on its way. By August 28, evacuations were underway across the region.

Average folks face traumatic events all the time. Sometimes they come from natural events offering some type of warning. Other times they come from accidents with no warning at all. They come from crimes committed by other humans. They come from people we know and all too often from people we trust.

Everyone is susceptible to events but there are others topping off the regular traumas to willingly putting themselves into them everyday for the sake of others.

Firefighters rush to accidents, run into burning buildings and face off with massive wildfires. Not just one time but all the time. When they are not thinking about what they have to do faced with danger, they know any moment can send them into a life-threatening event. We don't want to talk about what they see or have to go through to save lives.

OKANOGAN, Wash. — The three U.S. Forest Service firefighters killed in a wildfire near Twisp last week died as a result of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, or burns to the body, the Okanogan County Coroner’s Office said Friday.

The manner of death was listed as an accident.

From left, fallen U.S. Forest Service firefighters Richard Wheeler, 31, Andrew Zajac, 26, and Tom Zbyszewski, 20.

The three firefighters — Andrew Zajac, 26, Richard Wheeler, 31, and Tom Zbyszewski, 20 — were killed on Aug. 19 near Twisp.

Officials said the three died when their truck crashed down a 40-foot embankment as they tried to escape the fast-growing wildfire and flames consumed their vehicle. All three lived in north-central Washington.
Four others were injured.

All we care about is if they show up when we need them to. As for what happens to them afterwards, we expect them to be able to just get over it to be ready for the next time. We don't talk about them battling PTSD or thinking of ending their own lives. Emergency responders and firefighters are usually well regarded because we're always glad to see them especially when we're in trouble.

Police officers are different. We're glad to see them when we need them but hate to see them in a rearview mirror or when we were doing something wrong. They show up even though it seems more and more of them are hated. It is always stunning to think they still show up for work no matter how badly they are treated by some members of the public. Frankly most of us know there are a lot more good cops risking their lives for us than the few reported by the masses because they are suspected of doing something wrong.

We don't want to think about what their jobs do to them as long as they stay away from us when we don't need them but come when do. We don't want to think about Police Officers and PTSD or the fact that some go from risking their lives to not being able to fight for themselves anymore.

Members of the National Guard show up when we need them at home and deployed into combat operations on the other side of the world if asked to. Most of them are members of fire departments and police departments and a good number of them are also military veterans.

Yep, you know where this going.

We don't talk about them either. Sure we give them passing thoughts of reading reports pretending we understand all of what they face but we don't. Most don't even have a clue what their reality is or what it is like for their families. Oh, ya, that's something else we don't want to talk about. The families they come home to after they risked their lives for us.

The truth is, we want them there when we need them but no one seems to be there when they need us. As all of these folks get ready for yet another massive storm heading for Florida, think about all of them and then do a bit more than wonder what you can do for them and then DO IT! The predictions of their storms have been seen for generations but few took the warnings seriously enough to act.

More than 125 police officers committed suicide in 2012

How many of them were veterans on top of police officers?

Local law enforcement learns about suicide prevention
Press Connects.com
Written by
Stephanie Bouvia
October 24, 2013

BINGHAMTON — More than 125 police officers across the United States committed suicide in 2012.

That’s according to a study by Badge of Life, a national organization raising awareness about suicide prevention in law enforcement.

On Thursday, about 60 law enforcement professionals wrapped up a two-day training session that focused on how to address line-of-duty deaths, suicide and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.

“The public doesn’t think about police officers killing themselves,” said Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski. “Cops are macho tough people, and everybody thinks this stuff doesn’t affect them, but it does.”
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Ex-cop found dead in cell hours before sentencing

'Suicide by hanging' official cause of ex-cop's death

Anthony Orban, facing life in prison for rape and kidnapping, killed himself Friday just hours before his scheduled sentencing.

By GREG HARDESTY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Oct. 30, 2012
A former Westminster detective found dead in his jail cell Friday died of suicide by hanging, authorities said Tuesday.

The official cause of death of Anthony Nicholas Orban, 33, was announced by Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Orban, formerly of Irvine, was found unresponsive in his cell at 2:49 a.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at the West Detention Center in San Bernardino. He was scheduled to be sentenced later that day to an effective term of life in prison for the April 3, 2010 kidnapping and rape of a former waitress at Ontario Mills Mall.
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Police: Veteran officer shot wife, then self

Police: Veteran officer shot wife, then self
CAROL ROBINSON, The Birmingham News
Published 11:50 a.m., Thursday, September 8, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Police detective Rodney Wilson and his wife of two years, Uteva, had their difficulties, but family members said they never expected those troubles to end in murder-suicide.

"I knew in the past they had problems and I told him and her that we all have financial worries," said Sharon Woods, Uteva Wilson's mother. "I talked to Rodney Saturday and he was concerned about things. I said, 'I have bills too. Do what you can, even if it's $1, and leave the rest to God.'"

"He always stressed that he loved her," Woods said Wednesday. "I never thought he would take her life."

Police said that's exactly what happened.

The 41-year-old detective apparently shot his 23-year-old wife and then got on his police radio and warned he was about to take his own life.

He told dispatchers he had killed his wife, but that the children were OK. He asked for paramedics and a supervisor to come to the scene, and then said, "I won't be here when you get here," authorities said.

Wilson, a nearly 11-year veteran of the Birmingham force who served in the burglary unit, used his service weapon in shooting, authorities said.

LAPD Officer committed suicide at Sheriff's Station

LAPD mourns suicide of veteran narcotics detective
Colleagues say Susan J. Clemmer, 41, was 'always smiling' and showed no troubling signs. She shot herself in the head at a Santa Clarita sheriff's station Monday night, police say.
By Richard Winton and Joel Rubin
July 8, 2009
Officers throughout the Los Angeles Police Department grieved Tuesday as news spread that a veteran detective had killed herself in the lobby of an L.A. County Sheriff's Department station Monday night.

Susan J. Clemmer, a well-regarded officer assigned to the LAPD's Gang and Narcotics Division, walked into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station about 9:15 p.m. and spoke to the sheriff's deputy at the front desk, according to sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore and LAPD officials.


Clemmer, 41, placed a box of personal items on the counter and asked to speak to a different deputy. After a brief conversation with a second deputy, when Clemmer was briefly left unattended, staffers heard a gunshot and rushed out to find her with a single gunshot wound in her head, police said.

No one else was injured.

What Clemmer said to the deputies, and whether she identified herself as a police officer, remained unclear Tuesday.


The death of the 19-year LAPD veteran left officers throughout the tightknit department stunned.

"We're in shock. It came as a complete surprise," said Capt. Kevin McCarthy, one of the commanders of Clemmer's unit. "She was always smiling and easy to work with. There was no indication that anything was wrong."
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LAPD mourns suicide of veteran narcotics detective

Taser death double tragedy with officer's suicide

Iman Morales, a man in crisis and mentally ill, is dead. Now, Police LT. Michael Pigott is dead. Two tragedies. Two families left behind grieving and friends wondering what they could have done differently. This is what happens when law enforcement officers are not aware of the difference between someone who is "evil dangerous" or "wounded dangerous" leading them to make the wrong decisions.

Police officers have to make snap decisions all the time with lives on the line. They need all they can have behind those decisions. Without all the knowledge possible, more tragedies like this will happen.

Official: Cop commits suicide after stun gun death
Story Highlights
NYPD official says a lieutenant is dead of an apparent suicide

Lieutenant recently gave orders that resulted in a man falling to his death

Unidentified lieutenant was stripped of his gun and badge after the incident



NEW YORK (AP) -- A police lieutenant committed suicide Thursday, days after he ordered another officer to fire a stun gun at a naked, distraught man who then fell to his death, police said.

The body of Lt. Michael Pigott, a 21-year police veteran, was found in a police locker room at a former airfield in Brooklyn, New York, dead apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Paul Browne, deputy commissioner for public information. He used a weapon that was not his, police said.

Pigott had been stripped of his gun and badge and reassigned to desk duty after the September 24 case in which police, summoned by the mother of an emotionally disturbed man, fired a Taser stun gun as he perched on a ledge.

The man, Iman Morales, fell 10 feet to his death as onlookers screamed. An onlooker's video of the encounter was seen on news stations and posted on the Web.

Almost immediately, police said the use of the stun gun appeared to violate department guidelines, which explicitly bar their use "in situations where the subject may fall from an elevated surface."
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