Chicago Police Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, a 30-year veteran of the force, received a lucrative promotion in July.
Less than two weeks later, Boyd was found dead in an apparent suicide.
Co-workers discovered Boyd, a father of two sons, dead in his office on Tuesday morning.
It was apparent that Boyd, 57, had committed suicide.
Boyd was promoted July 15 to the rank of deputy chief of the Chicago Police Department’s criminal networks group.
In a statement, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said, “I am extremely saddened to share with you today the loss of a respected member of our command staff to suicide. We are shocked, saddened at the loss, and it’s deeply felt by me and the many colleagues and friends with whom Deputy Chief Dion Boyd worked and mentored throughout his career.”
Brown added, “Dion left people he loved here, and colleagues who loved him as well. Please, officers, please, stay humble, stay human, stay safe, stay well.
“There’s really no way to convey or express the magnitude of this loss,” Brown said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We are shocked and saddened at the loss that is deeply felt by me and the many colleagues and friends with whom Deputy Chief Boyd worked and mentored throughout his career.”
Brown also pleaded with officers to “always remember to take care of ourselves and each other.”
“There is no shame in reaching out for help,” he insisted.
Chicago Police Supt. Brown confirms officer who died is Deputy Chief Dion Boyd.
Says he died by suicide.
Boyd had been promoted less than two weeks ago to Deputy Chief of Criminal Networks. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/IZ3xbZtmJm
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) July 28, 2020
Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also shared her sadness about Boyd’s untimely passing in a statement of her own.
“Deputy Chief Boyd called the Chicago Police Department his home for more than 30 years, proudly serving the South Side as Commander of Area 1 and the 2nd District, along with numerous other roles,” she wrote in a Tuesday tweet.
“This devastating loss will not only be felt at every level of this Department, but in the countless communities and homes Deputy Chief Boyd touched during his decades-long service to our city,” she added.
Lightfoot also urged officers to speak up if they feel they are suffering and feel they are running out of options.
In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department reported that the city’s suicide rate among its police officers was at least 60% higher when compared to the average of 18.1 officers per 100,000 across the nation.
The report recommended expansions as well as improvements in mental health services available to officers, specifically in the Chicago area.
