NYPD Memorializes Queens North Deputy Chief Steven Silks

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — More than a thousand police officers and loved ones gathered in Forest Hills on Tuesday to honor the memory of the late NYPD Deputy Chief Steven J. Silks of the Queens North Patrol Bureau.

NYPD colleagues remembered Silks as a master storyteller and a master of selfies, a lifelong Bronx resident who fell in love with Queens and even grew to love the Mets. He ran marathons, climbed Mount Everest and showed off his scars from wrestling an alligator, they recalled. He was charming, smart and fond of the trivia show Jeopardy.

"Steve will be remembered as a true Cop's Cop who always cared for those who had worked with him," his obituary reads.

Silks served in the NYPD's 41st, 43rd, 44th, 47th, 48th, 49th and 52nd Precincts; the Bronx Task Force; Bronx Narcotics; the Police Academy; the Firearms and Tactics Section; Office of the Chief of Patrol and the Patrol Boroughs of Brooklyn North, Queens South and, most recently, Queens North.

He was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom and the NYPD Holy Name Society's Bishop Thomas V. Daily Memorial Award.

He died by suicide on June 5 at the age of 62. He was weeks away from retirement, after nearly four decades with the NYPD.

"He was a character in the best sense of that word," NYPD Assistant Chief Martin Morales, commanding officer of Queens North, said in his eulogy. "When he finished telling a story, you had to be prepared for, 'Hey, I got another one!'"

To honor Silks' love for Jeopardy, Morales ended the eulogy with a $1,000 clue. The category: historical figures. Answer: "Who is Steven Silks?"

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, who worked alongside Silks in the Bronx in their early days with the police department, encouraged his fellow officers to come forward and discuss any mental health struggles.

"Get rid of the stigma of being the tough guy," Monahan said. "It's a conversation that can't be in whisper tones."

It’s imperative that cops — NYPD & every PD — discuss mental health. We can’t sit idly by & just pray suicides don’t happen again. To save lives, we must take action now. Seeking help is never a sign of weakness. In fact, it’s a sign of great strength. ⬇️https://t.co/qVIVpND8x5 pic.twitter.com/KuihCK5bwE
— Commissioner O'Neill (@NYPDONeill) June 8, 2019

In lieu of flowers his family asks for donations to St. Mary's Children's Hospital in his honor.

If you or anyone you know in need of counseling, please call 1-800-273-TALK.