For the ninth time this year, a New York City police officer has died by suicide, two police officials confirmed to ABC News.
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"It has been a tough year,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at police headquarters Thursday.
"This is not unique to law enforcement but for us, we are hurting right now," he said. "We’re all feeling it and we’re all trying as best as we can to come up with initiatives to do more."
The Queens death marks the ninth NYPD suicide this year. Four NYPD officers died from suicide in June, one died in July and two others took their lives earlier this year.
Law enforcement advocates say the disturbing problem is visible nationwide.
More police officers have died by suicide this year so far than in the line of duty (27 as of Aug. 1), statistics compiled by advocates show. Blue H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization that tracks officer suicides, found that 122 officers killed themselves this year. The group goes through the painstaking process of calling each family to verify the deaths because no comprehensive government database exists.