Cops: Cop with mental health issues commits suicide in FDR Park
A Lower Merion cop suffering from mental health issues committed suicide in his car in FDR Park this morning, according to police and Lower Merion officials.
Cops: Cop with mental health issues commits suicide in FDR Park
Ofc. Sean Quinn
A Lower Merion cop suffering from mental health issues committed suicide in his car in FDR Park this morning, according to police and Lower Merion officials.
When Lower Merion Township Ofc. Sean Quinn, 46, did not show up for work as scheduled at 7 a.m. today, Superintendent Michael McGrath issued an alert to all area law enforcement agencies "out of an abundance of caution," according to a news release.
The release did not detail why Quinn's supervisors felt it necessary to notify other police departments that the officer was missing, but a city police spokeswoman said Quinn was believed to suffer from mental health issues.
Lower Merion Township public information officer Thomas Walsh declined to go in to detail regarding Quinn's mental state. He did, however, say the officer was not fired but just failed to show up for work.
Walsh said Quinn left his house after a fight with his wife Sunday night and did not return.
Quinn was last seen around 5:30 a.m. in Ardmore and last had contact with his family around 6:30 a.m. while he was in the Columbus Boulevard area, according to Lower Merion officials.
After Quinn's personal vehicle, a 2012 gray Ford Focus, was found at FDR park this morning, city police set up a perimeter around the park at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia, according to police.
Quinn was found inside the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to a news release from Lower Merion Township.
Lower Merion police called Quinn, who also worked as a D.A.R.E officer, "a respected veteran of the force." Walsh said he was the father of three adult children.
"He was just a very well liked and a well-respected officer here," Walsh said. "His fellow officers are trying to absorb this."
According to his LinkedIn profile, Quinn had 25 years experience in law enforcement and was nearing retirement. He was working on building an Internet shopping business, according to his profile.
In a statement, Lower Merion police Superintendent Michael McGrath said: "The Lower Merion Police Department wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to Officer Quinn's family and friends and asks that they be kept in your thoughts and prayers as we all try to come to terms with this tragic event."
Comments (63)
Huh - he's apparently not stable, but he was coming to work today? Someone in that Police Department needs to lose their job for allowing this to progress to this point - and it's not the poor guy with the issues.— PhillyDaniel- Nobody said that he wasn't stable. He had mental health "issues", which could be any number of things including stress, and brought on by any number of reasons that everyone can face--money, divorce, job problems, frustration, etc.
You don't know any particulars, yet you have decided that someone needs to be fired. Priceless.— Tatt2 - While I won't be quick to judge, if he had known "mental health issues", which may run in his family, why the Twp allowed him to walk around and carry a deadly weapon is beyond me.
Knowing this, it may be a "blessing" that he didn't target an innocent person.— Professor1982 - Professor1982 — So you think townships should decide people's mental health? Wow. You really think government hacks should be chiming in with their meaningless, unqualified, unprofessional opinion?
Do you think "townships" (what does that even mean?) currently have the legal right to revoke gun permits (hint: they don't)?
Typical Democrat mentality. The details don't matter. All you can think of are more ways for Big Brother to manage your life and that of other people.— URANIUM235 - URANIUM - LoL, I am by no means a Democrat...if you ever read any of my posts, you would see that. I also agree with you 110%.
Now, that being said, I was referring to the TWP's employment of police officers. If an employer (in this case a Twp) knowing places a party with known mental health issues in a position of authority (and armed), is that not grounds for massive liability?!?
THE ACLU attacks employers for discrimination...but what if the "discrimination" is necessary to protect the public???
You wont hear a peep from liberals here as this whole episode undermines their position that Govt should have authority to monitor the individual OR the Govt is always right.
— Professor1982 - Gee-whiz, man. You FINALLY say something that I agree with and that makes me think you might have slightly more intelligence than pond scum (your 13:52 comment), then you take three steps back by acting as if you don't know what is meant by the kind of discrimination for which the ACLU rightfully sues, and the kind of so-called "discrimination" that would allow a law enforcement entity to not allow a person with mental health issues to have a gun and the power of the state to use it. Sigh, the fool giveth, and the fool taketh away. — wb2nd
- Gee-whiz, man. You FINALLY say something that I agree with and that makes me think you might have slightly more intelligence than pond scum (your 13:52 comment), then you take three steps back by acting as if you don't know what is meant by the kind of discrimination for which the ACLU rightfully sues, and the kind of so-called "discrimination" that would allow a law enforcement entity to not allow a person with mental health issues to have a gun and the power of the state to use it. Sigh, the fool giveth, and the fool taketh away. — wb2nd
- Professor1982 — I don't know what you mean when you say "mental health issues." That could mean anything you want it to mean.
Does somebody who believes in God have "mental health issues" because they believe in an imaginary man who sits in the clouds and makes things happen on earth?
Does a father going through a difficult divorce and custody battle have "mental health issues?"
Does a person who was just diagnosed with cancer have "mental health issues?"
Does a cop whose daughter was just raped or murdered have "mental health issues?"
I don't know what that term means or why you think it is so easy to allow a layperson to subjectively invoke its vague meaning into some concrete policy of enforcement.
I just don't understand what such a policy means in terms of the details and I don't like people who use vague words to claim they thought of an ingenious solution when in fact they demonstrated that they have no idea what they are talking about.— URANIUM235 - I don't know, Tatt2. Do YOU think that stable people tend to blow their own brains out, in their car, in the middle of a public park? I know you cop-fellators take your obsessions seriously, but...well, seriously? — wb2nd
- They didn't say he was unstable here, but in the police circle they did. You don't set up a perimeter around a park and put out an APB on a cop who just has issues. Think about it.
You're right PhillyDaniel, he had mental health issues but he was expected at work that day as usual, somebody should be fired. Hey Tatt2? Cops who carry guns that have mental health issues should not be expected at work as usual. GET IT??— Kolitz - Poor guy...poor family. Sorry for your loss.
If it was known or believed that he suffered from "mental health issues" then how or why did he still have his gun? This may have been preventable. Just sad.— sporting-sue - How many other on duty "cops" with mental health issues are actively patrolling the streets?— g-bman
- Probably enough to send shivers up and down our collective spine. I mean, just look at the PPD these last couple of years. — wb2nd
- why does it seem like the ratio of cops with mental issues is higher than the general public?— KingOfPhilly
- Maybe it's because you don't know what you're talking about. Got any figures to back up your opinion?
Yeah, didn't think so.— Tatt2 - It would be nice if you would get off of your knees and provide your own figures proving otherwise. — wb2nd
- 5-9, 200 lbs? Check the local donut shops. He can't run far.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Ray Rice is 5'8, 212 pounds. — themayor
- Does Somebody always have to lose their job?? Maybe this came on suddenly and quite frankly all thats happened is that he didn't show up to work... And as for the donut shot, must be nice to go through life perfect... Cops have a very stressful job and seems like this guy needs some help... Lets leave it at that..— JLendo18
- First off, my condolences to his family. Secondly, as a police officer with mental issues, far better he kept them "self-contained" and didn't leash out at others.........— kissamiazz
- So the city knew this cop suffered from mental issues and still allowed him to patrol the streets with loaded weapons? They only want to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental issues when they are not part of the thin blue line. Lower Merion is lucky this dude didn't shoot any innoncent civilians while still being able to work while being crazy.— Taxpaying Voter
- So sad. My condolences to this officers family and friends. Suicide, in most cases a permanent solution to a temporary problem. R.I.P.— marcie
- Too bad, he sounds like a good guy with a huge issue. We need to do more to keep good guys on police forces everywhere.— ricciaje
- @ Tatt2..good response to all the baseless and uniformed comments!!!— counselormom
- So what 'Mental Health Issues' can I have and still legally purchase a gun?— Marylander
- you have to have verified BadgeBrain It means that you think yourself superior, you enjoy the degradation and humiliation of others and wish to be praised for exhibiting these bahaviors. — carla commenate
- I've never heard of "BadgeBrain," but it sounds like an accurate diagnosis to me. — wb2nd
- sympathies... LMPD how do you let a person w/ known mental health issues patrol the street????????— main liner
- "building a Internet shopping business" -- Fine command of the English language, Ms. Farr.— Sir John Falstaff
- Yeah, I caught that, too. Clearly, some editor is sleeping on the job. — wb2nd
- Cops have higher suicide and wife beating rates than the general population. Departments always need to be vigilant on watching for warning signs. They do carry guns for a living. This police department was obviously aware of his mental health issues. Why else put out else put out a region-wide police alert for no showing for work? The question that comes to mind is what is department policy on what level of stress/mental health issues should remove a cop form the streets and take away his gun while he gets the help he needs? Did this police department do enough to help this cop? A lot of unanswered questions here that the police surely will not answer if it makes them look bad in any way, shape or form.— kingnutter
- Who is to say he had mental health issues before today? Maybe the reason they issued the alert was that he contacted someone and threatened suicide this morning. Plus, just because he had mental health issues doesn't mean he's incapable of serving as a police officer. It depends on the severity and type of mental health issue he had. So many of you just jump to conclusions every time. Pretty disgraceful— ec123
- @ ec123: "Plus, just because he had mental health issues doesn't mean he's incapable of serving as a police officer." ---------- Please take a few minutes and think about what I've quoted from your post in light of the fact that this guy committed suicide in a public park. And while I'm sorry that he was in so much emotional pain and that he felt that there was just no other way, I am very grateful that he had the presence of mind to not shoot some innocent civilian or even to unduly shoot a suspect or someone in custody. Unfortunately, there are many out there who do take it out on others. And then get away with it. — wb2nd
- Of course given that he had this level of mental illness, I agree that he should not have been serving as a police officer. What I am saying is that the level of his mental illness may not have been apparent before today. People are very quick to jump to conclusions. Of course if it was known that he suffered from this level of mental illness before today, he should have been pulled from the force, for his own safety and others. But it is possible that the mental illness was only discovered this morning, or that he was only known to have a minor case of depression before today. People are quick to judge. — ec123
- Okay, I understand what you're saying. That being said, however, given that his chief felt the need to alert other law enforcement agencies when this guy didn't show up for work, I can't help but think that the gravity of this officer's mental illness was most definitely apparent before this morning, and before his before his suicide was discovered. How long before this morning I can't say, but no, I don't think they believed that his illness was minor. — wb2nd
- wait ... so they knew he was unstable and left him on as a cop? What's wrong with this picture ?— BYEPHILLY
- He had mental health issues before today according to a doctor who posted on Main Line Times. If you have mental health issues to the pint of being suicidal, you are incapable of serving as an armed police officer. At least I would hope so. The FOP may disagree.— kingnutter
- Sad story when anyone chooses suicide rather than getting help. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. They are the ones hurting now.— BillyBob369
- So they believed he might have mental health issues but hadn't suspended him from duty as an armed police officer? great, just great. There's that boys' club stuff again.. the public welfare be damned.— farhorizons
- My condolences to Officer Quinn's family, friends and fellow officers. A shame the officer elected to end his life over issues that could most likely be dealt with in the light of day, rather then in the dark corners of one's mind. I question the Police Chief for it seems he knew the Officer had issues of some kind, hence the alert he issued to all l/e agencies. A sad time for the men in blue in this country....— DelawareRiverRat
- Sounds like this was preventable. He should have been off the street, relieved of his gun and been receiving treatment. Since the police chief was so concerned he did not show for work and issued a big alert, why didn't he relieve him from duty earlier so he could get treatment? Why was he on duty? One poster complained about his wife. If anybody is to blame, it is the LM police department for not acting on known mental health issues. This could have been an even greater tragedy if he went postal. Thankfully he did not, but this was a preventable tragedy where the blame is on the LM police and chief McGrath.— kingnutter
- RETIREMENT AT AGE 46??!?!?!?!?!?!!?! HOW MUCH ARE WE PAYING COPS THESE DAYS?
The bigger issue here is that the LM police force OBVIOUSLY knew about his mental issues and did nothing about it. THAT is what needs to change. We can't just allow people we know have mental issues to be walking around with guns.— KingOfPhilly - Exactly. And here the Government KNEW there were issues yet did nothing about it. — Professor1982
- Sad.— Tkat
- I am devastated at the loss of my friend Sean who I've known since High School. He was a kind, compassionate, caring man who NEVER said a mean word about anyone. He was a wonderful Police Officer and always helped those in need.
I know you all want to bash him for whatever sick reason but unlike the article states he did not have mental health issues and he was not unstable all I'll say is that a personal situation got to be too much and the people that know and care about him wish we he would have come to us.
Please think about your unkind, cruel and disgusting words....Please remember how YOU would feel if this was someone you cared about.— Geermi - Believe me, I am very sorry for the loss of your friend. And while I don't think that mental illness (even the kind that makes you commit suicide) is indicative of a character flaw (something that this suicide has, unfortunately, still not learned, and which is why so many who suffer with mental illness don't seek help), if someone I cared about committed suicide, I assure you that I'd be thinking that, clearly, they were to some degree unstable. — wb2nd
- Geermi - Sorry for your loss. No one should have to deal with this.
The bigger question is why did the Twp handle this the way it did? Did they offer assistance? Did they have knowledge that he was "unstable" yet allow him to function in his normal capacity?
In a public service role (especially one that involves weapons) there is unfortunately no room for error here.— Professor1982 - Sean was an officer at Lower Merion PD for 25 years, which is enough to retire. He was paid "so much" that he worked extra jobs to have to pay child support to his first wife, and to keep his second wife's bills under control. He was by no means a "loose canon" or a danger to the public in any way. For many years, he was a school DARE officer and was loved by hundreds if not thousands of kids, and their parents. Sean had ongoing domestic problems and couldn't hurt a fly, other than himself. He was one of the kindest people on the planet, too kind for some of the kinds of people around him. He was my friend, part time employee and someone I felt perfectly comfortable having my kids near. His death is a tremendous loss to many people, myself included. I love you, Sean. Thank you for always being there via text, phone, whatever when I needed you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you this morning.— exlmpat
- My wife grew up with Sean and I got to know him as well through facebook postings and pictures. He would do anything for you and my wife was going to have him come over and talk to my son about becoming a police officer. Maybe he had stress in his life but he was a great Police Officer and will be surely missed.— mightymagz
- Mental illness still carries such a stigma that it leaves people at the 'end of their rope' feeling like they can't reach out and leaves their friends feeling like they can't bring up sensitive issues. If a friend had a suspicious mole on their arm and you recognized it, you'd immediately urge them to see a doctor. But, if I feel a friend is having more than normal trouble coping, it's pretty hard to suggest that they seek help. I feel for his family and friends left not only with the grief, but with wondering if they could have done anything to stop him. That said, I've mourned two family members who took their own lives and, ultimately, each of us is the master of our own fate. There is an ENORMOUS difference between threatening suicide and committing suicide. We can't judge the pain of another and the only way I came to grips with my family members' decisions was to recognize that they truly believed it was the only way to end their pain. The key for the survivors is to refuse to let the way their loved one died overshadow their memories of the way their loved one lived.— vent
- While he is said to be a nice guy, a suicidal person with access to a gun is not a good combination. Suicide is often committed out of despair, the cause of which is frequently attributed to a mental disorder such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse. Stress factors such as financial difficulties or troubles with interpersonal relationships often play a role. Efforts to prevent suicide include limiting access to firearms and treating mental illness. Access to a firearm was not limited in this case, and you generally don't see suicide without at least depression. This does not make Quinn a bad person. It makes him human. The concern is not acting on he warning signs with anyone - let alone an armed police officer, and that appears to the case with the LM police dept.— kingnutter
- That finger should be pointed inside his household, not at the police department. I know him personally, well. He would NEVER hurt another person.— exlmpat
The only reason this is news is because he used a gun to commit suicide.— TimmyDay- The finger should be pointed in the household? Perhaps they could have done more or been better people, but they did not give him the gun. The LM police did. The LM police have a legal, ethical and moral responsibility to only provide guns to people of sound mind - and to take them away if there is a concern. There was obviously a known concern here by the police. The family did not give him the gun. The police did.— kingnutter
- Very well stated Kingnutter.— the juke
- There are many, many questions that haven't been asked, let alone answered. On question that leaps to my mind is whether or not he was taking any anti-depressant drugs. They are deadly. I know this from personal experience which I'd rather keep private. I'm sure his family and friends are devastated. You just can't turn the clock back and the what if questions will haunt for years. Condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace Officer Quinn.— Kranzley
- Thank you to all those for your condolences. My cousin was a very well respected officer for 25 years. A great husband and father. So please don't judge people when someone has a mental issue, because there are many of you who have made comments that probably have some type of mental issue. Everyone is not perfect. But he did his job and did it well. We love you Sean and you will be missed.— copsfamily
- This is a message to everyone commenting here. Officer Quinn was our D.A.R.E. officer in 5th grade, he taught us to stay away from drugs and alcohol. He taught so many of us to stay on the right path,so we wouldn't deal with things like addiction and abuse. Who knew someone like him dealt with "mental health issues"? But let's not remember him that way. We should remember him as the dedicated, hard working officer who taught the kids in the Lower Merion School District D.A.R.E. during their 5th grade year. I still have that t-shirt after all these years and I will wear it in memory of Officer Quinn. Rest In Peace.— SnowBlack
- I am horrified and appalled at some of the ignorant, judgmental comments being made here. It is disgusting! The man is not dead 5 hrs. and people are on their soapbox claiming to know everything about his particular situation. It is just those people who perpetuate the stigma of "mental health issues". This is a person here, a human being with a family that needs to process this and grieve. No one knows what can lead a person to such a desperate measure, and it can be in an instant. It is bad enough for a family to deal with this privately, but just terrible to have the details aired publicly and then to have unsolicited opinions about what coulda, woulda, shoulda been done. Gee, everyone is an expert here I guess? There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding his situation, so keep your mouth shut about it unless you have ALL the facts! Even then, respect the family of this man and at least let them get to the burial and grieve his loss before you start pointing the finger and making judgments without knowing everything.— WWJDgirl
- Unless you personally knew Sean Quinn, you have no right to say anything about his mental state. Nobody will ever know why he took his own life but does his family really need to deal with the nonsense that you are all posting?— mrsdare329
- Why did they have to besmirch this man's reputation by saying he had "mental health issues." Fair or not, there is still a stigma against those who suffer from mental health issues. It is obvious he was troubled by committing suicide.— Miss Bunny
- May his soul rest in peace and may his family receive comfort. May the police chiefs have the courage to disarm mentally ill officers.— jtw
- The hate that comes through these forums is overwhelming. You have to wonder why people treat people so badly that they want to end their lives.— Terance Healy
1
Popular Posts
Search this blog:
Blog Roll
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners: