TAYLOR MI May 26 2013 — A veteran city police officer was found dead Thursday afternoon in Ypsilanti Twp. of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.The death of 38-year-old Officer Michael Rich is being investigated as a suicide by the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department.
Rich, born and raised in the city, had been a Taylor officer since 2000.
Police Chief Mary Sclabassi said Rich was not on duty at the time of the shooting and declined to comment on details of the incident, saying the sheriff’s department was handling the case.
Rich worked as a patrol officer and field training officer, and had worked with a federal drug task force.
He was given Officer of the Month awards and the Field Training of the Year Award for 2012.
He also received a Community Service Award after cycling in the Police Unity Tour in 2012 from New Jersey to Washington, D.C. He rode in the Unity Tour in honor of a fallen officer, Cpl. Matthew Edwards, and Auxiliary Lt. Dan Kromer, both of whom were killed in the line of duty in 2010.
Sclabassi said those in the department who knew Rich were stunned and deeply saddened.
“He was an outstanding police officer,“ Sclabassi said. “He was well liked and respected by his fellow officers. This is a shock for our department.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rich family right now. We’re going to do everything we can to get them through this.”
Sclabassi said police officers have a higher suicide rate than the general population.
Officers build a wall to distance themselves from the ugliness they see regularly, she said.
“How many shootings can you go to?” Sclabassi said. “How many domestic violence victims can you see? How many drug overdose victims can you see? How many teenagers can you pull out of a wrecked car?”
She said the job takes a toll on officers.
“That’s why the statistics for police suicide are so high,” she said. “It is a shame that it has now occurred at our Police Department, especially after everything we have survived in the past three years.”
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or would like to speak with someone, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Help is available 24 hours a day.
source-heritage.com