O'Shea Sponsors Suicide Benefits Ordinance For First Responder Spouses

CHICAGO – Alderman Matt O’Shea (19th) proposed an ordinance Wednesday at the Chicago City Council meeting that would establish a death benefit for the surviving spouse and family of Chicago first responders that die by suicide. The ordinance was co-sponsored by all 50 Chicago alderman.

If passed, the ordinance would provide surviving spouses one year of salary, as well as a one-time financial benefit that ranges from $20,000 to $40,000 depending on the size of the family. These benefits mirror what the city currently provides to the surviving spouses of first responders who die in the line of duty. The ordinance would apply to families of all active Chicago police officers, firefighters and paramedics, and would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018.

First responders are at a much higher risk of experiencing both acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of frequent exposure to traumatic events. In 2021, there were 632 law enforcement deaths in the United States; nearly 25 percent of those deaths occurred as a result of self-inflicted injuries. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among law enforcement officers, behind only COVID last year. If you remove COVID related deaths, suicide would cause 49 percent of law enforcement deaths last year.

“First responders experience trauma on a daily basis,” Ald. O’Shea said in a news relese. “They regularly encounter violence, death, tragedy and loss and are forced to carry those experiences with them in their daily lives. As a direct result of their work, many first responders suffer from ASD, PTSD, depression and other mental health issues. Too often, those issues contribute to tragic acts of suicide. Given that, I believe that the government should provide support to first responder families who lose a loved one to suicide.”

The ordinance was supported by Anastasia “Stacy” Escamilla and Julie Troglia. Their husbands, Chicago Police Officers Paul Escamilla and Jeffrey Troglia, together gave more than 30 years of dedicated service to the city before they took their own lives in 2019 and 2021, respectively. They are each survived by three young children, in addition to their spouses.

“I am grateful to Ald. O’Shea and his colleagues for their efforts to close the gap between officer deaths in the line of duty and suicide. For me and our children, there is no difference,” Julie Troglia said. “I hope that bringing attention to first responder suicides will benefit those families, who like us, face daily financial and emotional hardships as we struggle with our grief and loss.”

A hearing before the Committee on Finance is expected in the coming weeks.