Quinn, 46, was a veteran of the Lower Merion Police Department, a former DARE instructor who loved working with children.
He was a private man with a strong jaw and youthful features. After a bumpy stretch, his life had smoothed out in recent years, and Quinn was doing what he loved - patrolling the streets.
"It was all he ever wanted to do," said his wife, Eileen.
Trained in crisis intervention, the officer also knew how to recognize when someone was suicidal.
That may have steeled him the morning of Feb. 11. Instead of heading to work, Quinn drove to a South Philadelphia park, put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger.
"Whatever problems he was having," his wife said, "he hid it very well."
Quinn is among more than 100 law enforcement officers in the United States each year who commit suicide. Thousands more are estimated to struggle in silence, fearful that seeking treatment could endanger their badges. Some states, including New Jersey, have launched task forces and issued statewide recommendations to departments.
