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Springs officer takes her own life

By Todd Hegert/The Gazette 7/6/2001

Colorado Springs' first female SWAT team officer shot and killed herself Thursday afternoon after leading fellow police officers on a chase through downtown.

Police spokesman Lt. Skip Arms said officer Brenda Whitlock, 36, an eight-year veteran with the department and former national champion wrestler, had been exhibiting "bizarre behavior in the past 24 hours" and had been taken off duty.

But he refused to elaborate on Whitlock's behavior or the department's concerns about her performance.

Whitlock had no prior blemishes on her record, and the fact she had been able to break gender barriers and move onto the SWAT team indicates her past performance on the force had been good, Arms said.

News of her death raced quickly through a shaken police force that includes Whitlock's husband, Sgt. David Whitlock.

"It's a very difficult thing to deal with," Arms said. "The police force is like a family, so this has certainly had an impact on everybody."

Arms said the police department received reports Thursday of concerns about Whitlock's behavior, although he could not say who reported it.

She was interviewed by her commander Thursday afternoon, and it was decided she should be temporarily removed from duty and given a psychological evaluation.

Arms said Whitlock was cooperative in the interview and agreed to drive with her commander for the evaluation.

But Whitlock bolted from the moving car at Rio Grande Street and Nevada Avenue as they left the Police Operations Center at 3:15 p.m.

She ran to her white Ford pickup in the visitors parking lot just east of the station. Police think she was unarmed at the time but had a gun in the pickup.

She drove north on Weber Street with police cars in pursuit, turned left onto Colorado Avenue, then screeched to a halt in heavy traffic before reaching Nevada Avenue.

Pursuing officers, several of whom knew Whitlock, ran from their cars to Whitlock's truck with their guns drawn, yelling for her to drop her weapon. But Whitlock shot herself once in the chest with her 9-mm service revolver as officers surrounded her car.

Bystanders ran for cover, then watched as police used a baton to break out the driver's side window of Whitlock's pickup after she fired her gun. She was pronounced dead at about 3:40 p.m. at Memorial Hospital.

Aaron Sauer was parking his car a few feet from Whitlock's pickup when the incident took place. He said the distress was evident among police officers.

"They looked really freaked out," said Sauer, an employee at Barnstorm Visual Communications, an ad agency in the One City Centre building next to the scene.

"A few of them were very upset -- you could see it on their faces, the look of shock."

Sgt. David Whitlock, the victim's husband, was at police headquarters when news of the suicide came in and was understandably distressed, Arms said.

The department has a full-time psychologist on staff to help fellow officers deal with Whitlock's death, Arms said. He did not know if additional counseling resources would be brought in.

Whitlock joined the force eight years ago and became a SWAT team member within the last two years.

"That shows that a lot of dedication and desire to overcome any barriers -- physical or gender-related -- that might have been there in the past," Arms said.

She also served on the department's bomb squad.

Whitlock was an accomplished athlete. She trained at the Olympic Training Center and won two national amateur wrestling titles in the women's 125-pound division in the mid-1990s.

At Gold's Gym, where Whitlock used to train, owner Jeff Boyle remembered her as a well-liked and hard-working athlete. She often worked out with other officers, he said.

Whitlock's neighbor, Ruth Barton, and others on Custer Street in the Shooks Run Neighborhood had come to like and respect the officer. Barton remembers how proud Whitlock was when she joined the SWAT team.

"Ever since they've been there, I've had this total admiration for her," Barton said. "She was absolutely charming, lively, helpful -- everything you could possibly want in a neighbor."

Despite the unusual hours Whitlock worked, Barton said neighbors could always turn to her for a helping hand.

"If there was a sidewalk that needed shoveling or someone who needed to be taken care of, we could always rely on her," Barton said.

"I'm so sorry it happened -- she was just a wonderful, wonderful woman."

This is the second suicide of a police officer on the Springs force this year, Arms said.

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Brenda Day Whitlock, 36, Colorado Springs police officer and former women’s wrestling star, takes her own life on July 5

7/5/2001
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Brenda Whitlock, 36, a member of the Colorado Springs Police Department and former U.S. women’s wrestling star, died on Thursday, July 5.

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Whitlock, “Colorado Springs' first female SWAT team officer shot and killed herself Thursday afternoon after leading fellow police officers on a chase through downtown.”

Whitlock was an eight-year veteran of the Colorado Springs Police Department, and had worked in law enforcement for over a decade. She is survived by her husband, Sgt. David Whitlock, who is also a Colorado Springs Police Department officer.

“USA Wrestling is deeply saddened by the loss of Brenda Whitlock,” said Bruce Baumgartner, USA Wrestling President. “She was an outstanding competitor and a true pioneer for women’s wrestling in our nation. She will be missed by the wrestling community. We offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends and to those who knew her through wrestling and the Olympic sports family.”

Whitlock, who wrestled under her maiden name Brenda Day, placed fifth in the 1995 Women’s World Wrestling Championships at 116.5 pounds, and won U.S. Nationals titles in 1994 and 1995. She was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 1995 U.S. National Wrestling Championships in the women’s division.

She competed on the 1995 U.S. Women’s World Team, which competed in Moscow, Russia. She placed fifth in her weight class. The team placed fourth in the 1995 World Championships, and was coached by Mike Duroe, USA Wrestling’s current National Women’s Coach.

“She was a fierce competitor,” said Duroe. “She had a very disciplined approach to the sport. She was always very dedicated. She commanded respect from the other women, because she was so tough and so intense and so dedicated.”

Whitlock was involved on the national level in many sports during her life, competing also in judo and cycling prior to her wrestling career. She was a graduate of Palmer High School in Colorado Springs.

Whitlock was a pioneer in women’s wrestling, competing on the men’s wrestling team while an undergrad at Northern Illinois Univ., one of the first women to ever wrestle on the college level. She has many friends within the wrestling community across the nation.

“Brenda was mentally tough,” said Duroe. “She was one of the pioneers. She went out on the limb, wrestling in college in the mid 80’s when women just did not wrestle. She portrayed a tough exterior; underneath she was sweet and considerate, always willing to help people.”

“Most recently, we got together in May to get on the mat and work out again,” said Duroe. “The last time we spoke, she was seriously considering getting back into it, with the thought that women’s wrestling might be in the Olympics. She was always in superior condition. If anybody could do it, come back at 36 years old, it was her.”

Breaking down barriers and taking on challenges was something that Whitlock achieved throughout her life, not just in athletics but also in her career. Besides becoming the first female member of the SWAT team, Whitlock also served on the department’s bomb squad.

"That shows that a lot of dedication and desire to overcome any barriers -- physical or gender-related -- that might have been there in the past," Police spokesman Lt. Skip Arms said to the Gazette.

According to Lt. Arms, the department has been informed that plans are for a private memorial ceremony with family.

Her husband David Whitlock contacted USA Wrestling and requested that memorial donations be made to USA Wrestling. People can send donations to the Brenda Day Whitlock Memorial, USA Wrestling, 6155 Lehman Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918.

David Whitlock requested that her friends in the sport and the wrestling community remember Brenda for her athletic skills and her many championships.

To read the local newspaper report on Brenda Whitlock, visit The Gazette at http://gazette.com/daily/top1.html