Chicago Police Foundation creating quiet rooms at all police districts, areas

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Foundation is stepping up to help officers when it comes to mental health.

Quiet rooms in every police district are part of a growing wellness strategy for Chicago’s finest.

A surge of police suicides in recent years has necessitated urgent action.

The non-profit Chicago Police Foundation is furnishing quiet rooms in all 22 police districts and five detective areas.

“Just on a daily basis on this job, they see things that are incredibly stressful, disturbing,” CPD Deputy Chief Gabriella Shemas said.

Rick Simon, who retired from the Chicago Police Department, met with WGN-TV at the 20th district, to talk about the rooms.

Officers, detectives and supervisors can come to the rooms and decompress after a tough day.

“This is a place for them to come and be themselves for a minute, or for an hour,” Simon said. “Whatever they need.”

Simon is the chairman of the Chicago Police Foundation.

The foundation is donating the comfortable furnishings to create a healing environment at all of the districts, areas and the training academy.

The quiet room is complementing an array of professional counseling services offered by the Chicago Police Department.

“We’re giving them the support so they can be successful because when they’re successful, we are all successful,” Glen Brooks, the director of the CPD Office of Community Policing, said.

The foundation is doing other work to support officers and their families, among other things, like establishing a new scholarship fund in honor of slain Officer Ella French.

The foundation is also putting up the funds to support CPD’s Law Enforcement Medical & Rescue Training with first-aid kits.