CHICAGO — The widow of a Chicago police officer applauded the approval of an ordinance unanimously passed Wednesday at City Hall that would offer financial benefits to families of first responders who die by suicide.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death amongst law enforcement in 2021. Over the last five years, Chicago has lost more than 20 first responders to suicide.
One of them was Jeff Troglia.
“I thought maybe he was doing laundry and couldn’t hear me and then I found him. Nobody was home, he was by himself,” said Julie Troglia, who spoke with WGN News about the day she found her husband and father to her three kids unresponsive.
Julie remembers Jeff as a loving father to his three girls.
“Extremely funny, always pulling pranks and joking around with myself and the girls,” she said.
On March 5, 2021, the CPD officer who served the city for 15 years, took his own life.
” I just….remember I kept saying, ‘I don’t understand, this isn’t my husband, why is this happening?'”
WGN’s Bronagh Tumulty will have the full report on WGN News at 9 p.m.