Cadet Dies by Suicide at Sheriff Training Center

A cadet who died by suicide Thursday morning at the Ben Clark Training Center leaves behind a wife and three children, according to an email the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department distributed.

About 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, staff were notified about the death of a recruit  according to information the Riverside County Sheriff’s office released.

The death has since been ruled a suicide.

According to the email distributed, the man’s name is Dimitry Razhkou. He was a member of Class 207.

The incident reportedly occurred in a private place.

Funeral services are pending, according to the email.

The cadet’s suicide comes less than five months after Chad Biano took office as Sheriff.

The cadet suicide comes just days before Kevin Briggs is schedule to speak on the topic in Riverside. Briggs, a retired California Highway Patrol sergeant, is known as the Guardian of the Bridge, for dissuading hundreds of people from jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge during his career.

Since it was erected in 1937, nearly 1,700 suicidal people have leapt to their death from the landmark, including 14 in 2018, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Briggs will be the keynote speaker Monday, April 22 at 9 a.m. during Send Silence Packing, an emotionally powerful exhibit that increases awareness about suicide prevention and provides resources for help. Send Silence Packing is a free national exhibition that raises awareness about suicide prevention on college and university campuses.

The event is open to the public and will be held on the downtown Riverside pedestrian mall at 3700 Main St., Riverside Ca.  For more information click here or call 951-955-3448.

Suicides in the U.S. rose by 33 percent from 1999 to 2017. For people under 35, it trails only “unintentional injury” as the leading cause of death. On an average day, 129 people across the country take their own lives, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Speakers are set to begin at 9 a.m. on April 22, with exhibit and resources onsite throughout the morning.

This conversation with the Guardian of the Bridge about suicide prevention and hope is sponswhere ored by Riverside University Health System—Behavioral Health. The event is free and open to the public.

The Ben Clark Training Center, where the cadet took his life, is located at 16791 Davis Avenue in Riverside. It is a regional training site that provides basic and advanced training to public safety personnel. According to its website, it is comprised of a partnership with Moreno Valley College, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, Riverside County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, and Riverside County Probation Department.

Moreno Valley College at the Ben Clark Training Center provides subject area and general education courses leading to certificates and degrees in public safety education and training, as well as emergency medical services.