NYPD officer kills himself amid rash of police suicides

YONKERS, N.Y. – A New York Police Department officer killed himself Tuesday in Yonkers, the eighth NYPD officer to die by suicide this year.

Yonkers police said Tuesday's death was reported around 3 a.m. The officer was pronounced dead at the scene. His death appeared to be self-inflicted, with no indications of foul play, police said.

The officer's name has not been released by police.

"The NYPD suffered another tragedy today with the loss of another officer to suicide," the department said in a Tweet. "To those who may be facing struggles – Help is always available, you are not alone."

The NYPD tweeted phone numbers and websites that are available as resources to help officers who are dealing with a personal crisis or problems such as stress, depression, and anxiety.

The deaths in New York are part of a national problem. Last year, for the third straight year, cops who died by suicide outnumbered line-of-duty deaths.

In June three NYPD officers died by suicide during a 10-day stretch. That month, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill called the spate of suicides "a mental-health crisis."

'A mental health crisis': 3 NYPD officers die by suicide in 10 days

"And the NYPD & the law enforcement profession as a whole absolutely must take action," O'Neill tweeted on June 14. "We must take care of each other; we must address this issue – now."

On June 28 O'Neill tweeted that the NYPD is "looking at all the ways we can get support & treatment to our people, including peer-to-peer counseling in every station house."

He tweeted on July 14 that "We must make sure our cops understand the process when seeking help during a crisis — their careers don't have to be adversely affected. We must make sure they're comfortable coming to us, or going outside the NYPD (that is NOT an issue)."

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYPD suicides: New York police officer kills himself; 8th this year