A Chicago police sergeant was found unresponsive Tuesday inside the 17th District station in Albany Park. Police said his death appeared to be a suicide. The Cook County medical examiner's office identified him as Timothy Martin, 49, of the Edison Park neighborhood.
Martin was found unresponsive at the station in the 4600 block of North Pulaski Road, according to the Chicago Tribune, which reported he was discovered just before 12:20 p.m. The Chicago Sun-Times, however, reported he was found around 1:14 p.m. while on duty. Martin was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police have not stated the nature of Martin's injury, but said his death appeared to be a suicide, the Tribune reported. The medical examiner's office had not yet ruled on the cause or manner of death, the Sun-Times reported, and an autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday, according to the Tribune. ABC7 Chicago reported that cellphone video captured a procession carrying Martin to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
A Veteran Sergeant's Two Decades on the Force
Martin had joined the Chicago Police Department in December 2000, according to the Tribune's reporting, putting his tenure at roughly 26 years at the time of his death. No further details about his assignment history or personal circumstances were included in the available reporting.
A Department With a Documented Suicide Problem
Tuesday's death adds to a pattern that has drawn scrutiny from federal and city watchdogs for years. A 2017 U.S. Department of Justice finding, cited by NPR, determined that CPD's suicide rate between 2013 and 2015 ran as much as 60% higher than the national average for law enforcement officers. A 2023 Chicago Sun-Times report noted that more than a dozen Chicago police officers had died by suicide since 2018, including a cluster that brought the 2022 total to seven.
A 2018 Fraternal Order of Police survey found that nearly 17% of officers who responded had thought about suicide, the Sun-Times reported. The same survey found that 90% of respondents believed stigma within law enforcement created a barrier to seeking help, and 76% feared that seeking help could put their jobs at risk.
Department Response Has Lagged, Watchdog Found
The city's inspector general found that CPD did not adequately prepare supervisors to identify members who needed wellness services, according to the Sun-Times report. By 2023, the department employed 17 professional counselors and had set a goal of placing at least one counselor in each of its 22 districts.
Separately, CPD worked with data scientists at the University of Chicago Crime Lab beginning in 2016 to build what became known as the Officer Support System, according to StateScoop. The system analyzes administrative records for all CPD members every month and flags officers who should be considered for additional support, with prior testing showing it generally flagged 2% to 4% of officers each year. The department said the program would be piloted in the 5th District before a citywide rollout.
Help Is Available
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free support by call or text, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
