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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE: |
15 September 2008 |
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TO: |
Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM: |
Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT: |
LETTERS
OF COMMENDATION (SINCE JULY 2008 BOARD MEETING) |
RECOMMENDATION
That the Ottawa Police
Services Board receive this report for information.
BACKGROUND
Attached for the information of the Board are excerpts from letters of appreciation / thanks received from the public, since the last regular meeting, for services rendered by members of the Ottawa Police Service.
(original
signed by A/Chief Gilles Larochelle for)
Vern White,
Chief of Police
Attach. (1)
LETTERS
OF COMMENDATION
SINCE
JULY 2008 BOARD MEETING
(INCLUDES SOME LETTERS MISSED FROM PREVIOUS REPORT)
Date Received: 8 May 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members: Detective
Alison Cookson and Constable Derek McCluskey
Excerpts from Letter:
From the moment I
called the Ottawa Police to report what had happened – mere hours after the
attack took place – I was treated with dignity and respect. The officers who arrived at the house were
articulate, efficient, and sensitive.
They took immediate measures to ensure that evidence was not
contaminated and ensured to quarantine the scene of the attack, but beyond
this, each of them took the time to explain why things were being processed as
they were. I would like to highlight
the service of Cst. McCluskey, who immediately instilled a sense of safety and
protection in me, despite the circumstances.
…Cst. McCluskey was able to gain my trust with his kindness and
directness, and guide me through the painful process in the crucial hours
following this attack. At my request he
took the time to speak to my grief-stricken parents in British Columbia by
phone…My parents were tremendously appreciative of his demeanour and
professionalism. The outstanding
conduct of Detective Cookson, who made me feel as comfortable as possible in
answering very difficult questions the same day as this occurred. I know she is incredibly busy yet she always
took time to answer my phone calls and explain things to me in the weeks that
followed. I commend you and your force
for earning my trust and respect in the aftermath of such a disturbing event. I was treated with dignity and every
possible courtesy, and I feel you should be proud of the service you
provide. Please pass on my sincere good
wishes to them for their outstanding efforts.
…they deserve the highest praise.
Not a day goes by that I do not think of what happened that day. But not a day goes by that I do not think of
the heartfelt compassion and consideration that these two officers, in
particular, demonstrated to me, either.
Date Received: 15 May 2008
From: Peter
Deschamps, Director, Special Investigations Branch, Ministry of Revenue
OPS Members: Constables
Sarah Smith and Keith Hihnala
Excerpts from Letter:
At this time we
would like to thank the OPS, especially the efforts of Csts. Smith and Hihnala
for their assistance to the Special Investigations branch during the execution
of a search warrant by our staff. Thank
you again for the professionalism and courtesy shown by your Service.
Date Received: 16 May 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members: Constables
Mark Scharfe and Don Gamble
Excerpts from Letter:
Over a period of
time, two of your police officers have taken the time to sit with myself at my
home and have helped me greatly with some very disturbing happenings in my
life. These two officers are in my
words top-notch officers. I thank them
and feel you should be made aware of their unselfish desire to help out.
Date Received: 20 May 2008
From: Bill
Stephens, Deputy Director, Senior and Special Courses, Ontario Police College,
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
OPS Member: Inspector
Scott Nystedt
Excerpts from Letter:
Ontario Police
College promotional examinations were held on 30 March 2008. …. Insp. S. Nystedt participated on the 2008
Appeal committee; his commitment, professionalism, and related subject
expertise was particularly valuable in this exercise. Insp. Nystedt worked extremely well with the other committee
members. We understood he found this
exercise to be very insightful in terms of the quality control measures
undertaken to ensure examinations were both fair and defensible. Again, a sincere thanks to Insp. Nystedt for
his considerable contribution, and to you and your police service for
contributing to yet another successful exam administration.
Date Received: 22 May 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members: Ottawa
Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
Belated best wishes
to all OPS staff for National Police Week.
Without dedication and professionalism of your police officers and
support Staff, Ottawa would not be the safe place to live that it is today. As many citizens do, I have certain issues
with the police in Ottawa, however, that ought not to prevent me from
acknowledging that the OPS provides an essential service to our City. The efforts and community involvement of the
OPS is very much appreciated. Keep up
the good work!
Date Received: 22 May 2008
From: Anthony
J. Onorato, Chair, Scientific Working Group on Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, FBI
Laboratory, US Department of Justice
OPS Member: Sergeant
Kevin Maloney
Excerpts from Letter:
The FBI laboratory
would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ottawa Police Service for
their support of the SWG concept by making Sgt. Maloney available to attend the
spring meeting of the Scientific Working Group on Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
(SWGSTAIN). Due in large part to the
efforts of Sgt. Maloney and his learned colleagues, this meeting was one of the
most successful SWGSTAIN meetings to date.
The FBI would like to especially thank Sgt. Maloney for his
contributions to the recommended terminology document that was ultimately
formalized by the group and released for public comment. Again, the FBI would like to formally
recognize the importance of its ex officio relations with the IABPA as well as
the professional contributions that Sgt. Maloney and the OPS have made to the
field of BPA.
Date Received: 23 May 2008
From: Len
Boudreault, Director, Carleton University
OPS Members: Traci
Bowen, Heather Wellman and Donna Johnson, OPS Victim Crisis Unit
Excerpts from Letter:
I am writing to
thank your staff from the Victim Crisis Unit, for their response to our call
for assistance in dealing with staff and students following the unfortunate
conclusion of the Kajouji incident. The
resources of the university were not equipped to deal with the immediate requirement
for counselling and I requested assistance from the Victim Crisis Unit. The response exceeded expectations and
allowed us to deal with grief counselling for the affected students and staff
members. This assistance, and the
follow up calls to my office, served to emphasize the positive working
relationship that we in University Safety have come to rely upon with the
Ottawa Police Service.
Date Received: 26 May 2008
From: William
Snoddon, Superintendent, Highway Safety Division, Ontario Provincial Police
OPS Member: Constable
Darwin Turner
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of the
Ontario Provincial Police, I would like to offer our sincere appreciation and
thanks to Cst. Turner for the many hours of dedication and service he has given
to T/Sgt J.T. McNall in delivering the Radar/Lidar Instructor course recently
held at the Ontario Police College, Aylmer.
He delivered professional, effective, valuable, and relevant instruction
and gave of his time and talents without reservation working well beyond normal
work schedule. You are very fortunate
to have people of Darwin’s calibre employed within the OPS who can instruct on
courses such as ours. By working
together we are confident that we deliver the very best training possible. It is a pleasure and an honour for us to
work with such people and to be part of their achievement. We hope this collaboration will continue for
future courses. Please convey my
gratitude and thanks to Cst. Turner for another job well done!
Date Received: 26 May 2008
From: Clément Rose, Commander, Major
Crime Section, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
OPS Members: Constables
William Barlow, Bradley Peak and Sandro Mazzarotti
Excerpts from Letter:
…to underline the
exceptional work that was done by three of your officers in assisting us on a
murder investigation. In the fall of
2006 Csts. Barlow, Peak and Mazzarotti undertook the task of searching for a
suspect who was wanted for a murder in Montreal. They located the suspect in Ottawa and apprehended him. They acted in a very professional manner and
their assistance was invaluable to us in the investigation.
Date Received: 26 May 2008
From: Bill
Stephens, Deputy Director, Senior and Special Courses, Ontario Police
College, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
OPS Members: Sergeant
Mike Besner, Staff Sergeant Sylvio Gravel, Inspector M. Sanford, Mr. Andrew
Clark, Ms. Joyce Jones, Ms. Ginette Massicotte, Mr. Malcolm Tardieu and Ms.
Onalee Wyman
Excerpts from Letter:
Ontario Police
College promotional examinations were held on 30 March 2008. We would like to take this opportunity to
extend our sincere thanks to you and your police service for hosting
examinations. …Sgt. Besner and S/S
Gravel in coordinating the Ottawa exam site…and members who assisted with
on-site administration and proctoring a record high number of candidates. Year after year, the OPC proctors have
expressed extremely positive comments regarding your selection of OPS proctors,
in particular regarding organization and interpersonal communication
skills. We applaud their enthusiasm,
commitment and professionalism which contributed to yet another successful exam
administration. Thank you again.
Date Received: 29 May 2008
From: Cal
Corley, Chief Superintendent, Canadian Police College
OPS Member: Acting
Staff Sergeant Michel Marin
Excerpts from Letter:
The Canadian Police
College sincerely appreciates that the Ottawa Police Service allowed A/S/Sgt.
Marin to be a facilitator on our recent Senior Police Administration Course
(SPAC). This SPAC was offered in French
and A/S/Sgt. Marin demonstrated true professionalism and competence in his role
as a facilitator. We can offer only
high quality programs with the assistance of partners like the OPS because you
lend us high quality people when the need arises. Again, I would like to thank you for your continued support and
to advise you that should an opportunity arise, we would consider ourselves
very fortunate to have A/S. Sgt. Marin return as a SPAC facilitator.
Date Received: 4 June 2008
From: Hamid
Mousa, Director, Hunt Club/Riverside Community Services Centre
OPS Member: Superintendent
Peter Crosby
Excerpts from Letter:
Thank you for
speaking at the AGM on 28 May 2008.
Your presentation on destabilization of the family and social
institutions was very well received by our members. The information in your speech and the insight you provided were
both fascinating and timely. Our only
regret is that we didn’t have more time to discuss the root causes of unsafe
and unhealthy communities with you.
Date Received: 5 June 2008
From: Canadian
Association of Fire Investigators: Trevor Bain, CAFI National President and
James Bennett, CAIF The Journal Managing Editor
OPS Member: Sergeant
Michael Haarbosch
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of the Canadian Association of Fire Investigators
and our entire editorial committee, we would like to take this opportunity to
thank you and your organization for your ongoing commitment and support of our
association. Specifically, we wish to
thank you for Sgt. Haarbosch’s continued contribution to our national magazine,
“The Journal”. He has been instrumental
in making our members’ most valuable resource, the Journal, a professional
document by frequently contributing articles and reviewing potential material
for publication. We truly value the
partnership we have with the OPS and we look forward to Sgt. Haarbosch’s
continued participation with CAFI.
Date Received: 16 June 2008
From: Michael
Mulroney, M.S.W., The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa and Ivana Ljubic,
B.S.W.S. Student
OPS Members: Constables
Sheelah Lusk and Jarrid Foley
Excerpts from Letter:
The Children’s Aid
Society of Ottawa requested the services of the OPS regarding a Child
Protection matter. The OPS responded by
sending Constables Lusk and Foley to the location. We wanted to acknowledge and thank them for the courtesy and
professionalism they displayed while working with us on this matter.
Date Received: 16 June 2008
From: Leanne
Abbott, The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa
OPS Members: Sergeant
Paulo Batista, and Constables Jean Benoit and Vianney Calixte
Excerpts from Letter:
The Children’s Aid
Society of Ottawa requested the services of the OPS regarding a Child
Protection matter. The OPS responded by
sending Sgt. Batista, Constables Benoit and Calixte to the location. We wanted to acknowledge and thank them for
the courtesy and professionalism they displayed while working with us on this
matter.
Date Received: 16 June 2008
From: Sean
Kealey, St. Patrick’s Parade Manager, The Irish Society of the National Capital
Region
OPS Members: see
excerpt
Excerpts from Letter:
I would like to
thank the Ottawa Police Service for once again supporting the St. Patrick’s
Parade and Irish Week. Cst. Stephen
Carroll’s efforts in coordinating the volunteer officers and ensuring all
traffic issues are resolved is one of the major reasons that we can put on such
a large event. Under his direction we
created a Traffic committee to deal with traffic and safety issues before they
arise. Deputy Chief Sue O’Sullivan
graciously accepted our invitation to participate in the Parade as one of our
VIPs and Cst. Rob Hagarty organized the “Support our Troops” themed Ottawa
Police Service Float. S/Sgt. Dave
Thomas and A/Sgt. Russell Lucas (Special Events) helped us to improve on our
barricade and volunteer deployment plan.
The following traffic officers were assigned to the Parade: Sgt. Al
Ferris, Cst. Peter McKenna, Cst. Matthew Clarke and Cst. Amerjit Sahota. I would especially like to thank the
following members for donating their time and expertise to the Parade: Inspector Mike Flanagan; Sergeants Chris
McGuinness, Jean Lamothe, Damien Coakeley, Mark Barclay, A/Sgt. Rob Stocki,
Staff Sergeants Paul Johnston, Mark Myers; Constables Dale Hayes, Lewis Hogan,
Janet Haas, Hugh O’Toole, Dave Zachrias, Sean Ralph, Dave Shea, Marianne Laver,
Greg Tyrer, Marc Denis, John Gibbons, Gerry Kinnear; and Joe Kilmartin, Jim
Power and Julie Kavanagh. The support
of the Ottawa Police Service and its members is second to none. Without it we would not be able to hold such
an event. The community as a whole and
specifically the less fortunate in our community benefit greatly from the OPS
involvement and once again I would like to thank you.
Date Received: 18 June 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member: Constable
Kim MacKey
Excerpts from Letter:
I write to commend
the personnel of the Ottawa Police Service, particularly Constable MacKey, for
the effective yet measured way in which she rescued my 88 year-old mother when
she inadvertently wandered on foot onto the Queensway near Kirkwood
Avenue. There is no question that my
entire family and I very much appreciated this work!
Date Received: 18 June 2008
From: Helene
Dudas, Chair Ottawa/South Neighbourhood Watch Community Association
OPS Member: Constable
Walter Duhme
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of the
Ottawa South Neighbourhood Watch Community Association members I want to
express how pleased we are with Cst. Duhme’s presentation on graffiti. Our Association had heard of his success in
Orleans, and they wanted to know how it perhaps could be applied in our
neighbourhoods. He is well versed on
the subject, and responded to their many questions. He especially encouraged the Watch members to eradicate graffiti
from their neighbourhoods themselves, rather than wait for someone else to do
it. He advised how to obtain the
necessary kits from the City. This was
a new approach, and one that the members felt could become a neighbourhood
project. Much to the delight of our
members (4,014), Cst. Duhme is now one of our CPC officers, so I’m confident
that he will get feedback on the Watches success. This is truly a Partnership in action.
Date Received: 19 June 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members: The
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
This letter is
intended to compliment the Ottawa Police Service. I live in Riverside Park South which, as your Service may know,
is a very benign, law-abiding neighbourhood.
The other day a police car drove down the street. I don’t know if the officer was responding
to a call or just en route to some other destination. However, it was very reassuring and gave me a nice warm feeling
to have a police car drive along our street.
I believe police presence is one way of keeping crime down. Thank you.
Date Received: 19 June 2008
From: Roland
Michener School, The Roland Michener School Council and The Roland Michener
Public School Staff & the Families
OPS Members:
Constables Stephen Gorgichuk and Darryl Upshaw
Excerpts from Letter:
The Roland Michener
School Council, School staff and our school community would like to express
their most sincere appreciation for the attendance at our BBQ of Csts.
Gorgichuk and Upshaw and the three wonderful community volunteers who offered
to fingerprint the children. We know
they all took time out of their busy schedules to be with us. Their presence contributed to our success
and the families truly loved to have them there. We also hope that it contributed to building trusted
relationships between the children and police officers. Thank you.
Date Received: 19 June 208
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member: Constable
Karen Rintoul
Excerpts from Letter:
The purpose of this letter is to thank and commend the
Ottawa Police involved in locating our son.
In particular we would like to mention Cst. Rintoul, Central Division,
Patrol Services for the compassion and tact she displayed in dealing with both
my wife and I in the most tragic event of our lives. We feel we would be remiss in not putting our thanks in writing
for the manner we were dealt with.
Date Received: 25 June 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member: Detective
Jamie Ritchie
Excerpts from Letter:
I am writing to
thank you for the prompt and efficient service we recently received from your
Department. As a retired police
officer, I know that the quality and timeliness of leads regarding crimes
committed can make all the difference in an investigation. A computer belonging to one of our customers
was stolen in Ottawa. It contacted our
monitoring center over the Internet.
Our software identified an IP address and an Absolute Theft Recovery
Officer supplied that and supplemental information to Detective Ritchie. The subscriber information was subpoenaed,
supplemental information verified, identifying the user. Detective Ritchie successfully concluded the
case when they recovered the computer.
Please pass on my compliments to Detective Ritchie, whose diligence and
investigative skills helped put a dent in property crime. The Theft Recovery Team looks forward to
working with your department again.
Date Received: 26 June 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members: Constables
Abdulkadir Abdi and Paul Greenwood
Excerpts from Letter:
I wish to commend
one of your police officers for his prompt, efficient and courteous handling of
an incident. Unfortunately I did not
get his name. Several of the neighbours
were extremely concerned about our neighbours who are older. They had left their car and house keys in
the lock of the trunk of their car. We
phoned the police after trying to see if they were home by ringing the
doorbell, knocking on the door and calling their names received no
response. It turned out they were, but
were soundly asleep and did not hear our attempts to wake them. We appreciated the efforts of the officer
and his courtesy to both us and our neighbours. Please pass along our heartfelt thank you for a job well
done. He is definitely a credit to the
OPS.
Date Received: 30 June 2008
From: Geoff
Murphy, Supervisor, Rosenthal Services, Ottawa Carleton Association for Person
with Developmental Disabilities
OPS Members: Constables
Shawn Hickey and Karen Montague
Excerpts from Letter:
I supervise a day
program for developmentally disabled adults.
One of the individuals we support was having a particularly difficult
day and his behaviour escalated to being physically aggressive. We had to call your force for
assistance. I want to let you know that
Constables Hickey and Montague’s efforts were exemplary. They handled the situation with a calm
professionalism. With their contribution
the situation concluded on a positive note.
On my and my staff’s behalf please forward our appreciation to your two
valuable Constables.
Date Received: 3 July 2008
From: JoAnn
Meloche, Assistant Crown Attorney, Ministry of the Attorney General, Crown
Attorney
OPS Members: Constables
Marc Racine and Brad Rohrig
Excerpts from Letter:
I would like to bring to your attention the outstanding
performance of duties demonstrated by your two officers. Constables Racine and Rohrig attended a
residence in relation to a serious domestic violence situation. The victim returned to her residence after
spending the night in hospital and found her home broken into. She feared the individual was inside her
residence and the officers conducted not one, but two extensive searches of the
residence and came upon the individual in the basement hiding behind a
mattress, rolled up in a carpet. He
immediately attacked Cst. Racine. They
fought for their lives and eventually subdued the individual. Both officers demonstrated incredible
bravery and professionalism in a highly charged situation. This came through during their
testimony. Both officers were exemplary
witnesses, honest, straightforward and prepared for trial. They were assisted in their testimony by
their excellent notes. The individual
was found guilty on all charges.
Date Received: 4 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members: Constables
Avery Flanagan and Lorie Montreuil
Excerpts from Letter:
I am writing to
express my sincerest appreciation for a job well done. The officers on duty were outstanding in
working together and finding and retuning my 14 year-old son with autism. We were riding home from my parent’s house and
my son was ahead of me when my tire blew.
He continued biking, thinking I was right behind him. I ditched the bike, called 911 and gave the
police at a nearby corner a description and told them to be gentle. The officers found him and Cst. Flanagan gently
directed him to the back of the police car with the bike in the trunk. I was very grateful and shook hands with him
for finding and bringing my son home safely.
I want to also thank Cst. Montreuil who I met on the corner. She was interrupted on another call and took
my son’s description from his bus pass picture and I informed her that he has
autism and must be gentle because he responds negatively to anyone grabbing
him. My understanding is that she
updated the earlier broadcast to include a specially trained police officer
assigned to look after lost children with exceptionalities take the lead in the
search and rescue. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart for returning him safely home. “Thank you for bringing me home to my Dad!”
Date Received: 7 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member: Constable
Jason Lehman
Excerpts from Letter:
My wife was involved
in a motor vehicle accident near our home.
The responding officer was Cst. Lehman.
I just wanted to express our gratitude to Cst. Lehman. He was very good to my wife, my daughter who
arrived at the scene on foot, and he was very helpful to me after the
fact. All too often I think this would
be described as doing one’s job. While
that may be true, the fact of the matter is that the Constable did his job in a
fashion that made a great difference to us, at that particular moment in
time. To me, that is the difference
between doing one’s job, and doing it well – making the difference. However, for us, it was a very trying couple
of hours. The service we expect,
without thinking about it too much, was delivered, delivered well and made a
difference. I thought you should know
that.
Date Received: 9 July 2008
From: Louise
Martin, Executive Director, The Good Companions
OPS Members: Constables
Blake Pope and Hugh Irwin
Excerpts from Letter:
Officers Pope and
Irwin were very helpful and supportive during the Walk of Ages. By assisting at the traffic lights at Albert
Street and Empress Avenue, they enabled the Walk’s participants to follow the
pipers as they led the walk from our centre to the Ottawa River Pathway. We thank you for enabling us to hold a
successful, safe event.
Date Received: 10 Jul 2008
From: Steve
Monuk, Committee Chair, Enbridge Canoe for Kids, Christie Lake Kids
OPS Members: Deputy
Chief Gilles Larochelle and Inspector Mike Johnson
Excerpts from Letter:
The OPS was very well represented at the 13th
Annual Enbridge Canoe for Kids event. I
would like to acknowledge the important role that D/C. Larochelle and Insp.
Johnson play as members of the Canoe for Kids Organizing Committee, in addition
to their role as members of the Christie Lake Kids Board of Directors. All of the officers of the OPS who were
present that day demonstrated their outstanding commitment and support to their
community and should be commended for a job well done. It is with the support of community leaders
like the members of the Ottawa Police Service that makes this event a success
and enables us to continue making a difference in the lives of children and
youth who live in poverty.
Date Received: 10 July 2008
From: Library
and Archives Canada, Librarian and Archivist of Canada
OPS Member: Staff
Sergeant Sylvio Gravel
Excerpts from Letter:
I wish to express my
appreciation for your sending S/Sgt. Gravel to speak to the members of Library
and Archives Canada’s Equity and Diversity Committee along with members of my
Management Team. The mandate of Library
and Archives Canada is to acquire, preserve and make known, the documentary
heritage of our country. We
wholeheartedly believe that our national collection must reflect a truly
diverse work force, so that our collective memory is truly Canadian. We have learned some important best
practices from the diversity strategies of the OPS. S/Sgt. Gravel’s speech was inspiring.
Date Received: 10 July 2008, 06 August 2008
From: RCMP,
Commissioner William J. S. Elliott, RCMP; Assistant Commissioner Allen Nause,
Commanding Officer, “A” Division
OPS Members: Ottawa
Police Service Pipe Band and Canine Unit
Excerpts from Letters:
I am writing to both thank and
congratulate the members of the Ottawa Police Service Pipe Band on their
outstanding contribution to last week’s Sunset Ceremonies. A unique relationship exists between our two
bands and this is an extremely worthwhile and innovative way of demonstrating
our shared commitment to integrated policing in the National Capital
Region. Please convey my gratitude to
pipe Major Jamie Ritchie, Drum Major Chris Renwick and all of the pipers and
drummers of the OPS Pipe Band – their talents made for an excellent show. I know that committing the band for five
nights in succession is a significant undertaking because your band, like ours,
is comprised primarily of volunteers.
They have represented the OPS proudly and we are likewise proud to have
been able to parade with you. Both the Canine segments and the Pipes and Drums Band
performances continue to be most popular with spectators. As was demonstrated throughout the program,
the relationship between the RCMP and the Ottawa Police Service contributed to
the success of the event.
Date Received: 14 July 2008
From: Dan
Tangredi, Provincial Coordinator, Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario (CISO)
Intelligence Training
OPS Member: Constable
Michael Azar
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of CISO,
as well as the instructional teams and students involved in presentation of the
2008 Technical Training Program, I extend sincere thanks and appreciation to
Cst. Azar for his participation as an instructor. Cst. Azar assisted during the Technical Techniques Orientation
Course. Please relay my appreciation to
him for a job well done. I also thank
the OPS for your ongoing support of the CISO Training Program.
Date Received: 15 July 2008
From: Pastor
Mike & Mrs. Dee Eskra, Cole Memorial Baptist Church
OPS Member: Staff
Sergeant Daniel Delaney
Excerpts from Letter:
…we were downtown and figuring to wind up at the war museum
after walking across town. While we
arrived there okay, after several hours when we emerged, we were in the middle
of the Blues Fest and the thousands of bodies it brought there. We were unsure of the bus and transit
conditions to return to the hotel …Officer Dan Delaney sized up our situation
and after an attempt to direct our bussing needs, he responded with the best
and safest way was for him to personally deliver us back to the hotel…We have
been in a church ministry for all our lives, even prior to our marriage, and
seldom have witnessed such a kindness and heart-felt effort of reaching out to
strangers, not even in church circles. … kindly convey to other officers that
your treatment of others will not go unnoticed and unrewarded for we have
shared this message with many in our town and church.
Date Received: 15 July 2008
From: Father
Paul McKeowan, Peter Scott, Chief Coordinator, Angelo Filoso, Logistics
Coordinator, St. Anthony’s Church
OPS Members:
Staff Sergeant John Medeiros, Sergeant Jean Lamothe, Constables Steve Lewis,
Dave Zackrias, Marc Denis, Steve Carroll, Sean Ralph, Denis Turpin, Jackie
Naida, James Turner, Shane Henderson, Tyson Currier, Danick Payment, Denis
Charbonneau
Excerpts from Letter:
We thank you and your Police Service for making our
community a better place in which to live.
Your officers have participated in the community events organized by St.
Anthony’s Church during Italian Week and more particularly St. Anthony’s Feast
Day, Sunday by escorting over ten thousand people for the annual St. Anthony’s
Church procession which has taken place since 1913 to present. These dedicated officers should be honoured
and recognized for their dedication to the Ottawa Community and with your
leadership and integrity we believe this will continue to happen in our
community.
Date Received: 21 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Staff Sergeant Lyse Fournier
Excerpts from Letter:
I am writing to compliment one of your officers, S/Sgt.
Fournier. I had to appear in court as a
witness recently and was extremely nervous and upset. S/S Fournier talked me through the process as well as taking my
Victim Impact statement. She was
terrific. She certainly is
knowledgeable and knows her law. She
was extremely honest, kind and reassuring and thanks to her I felt much better
about appearing in court – a world that I am not familiar with at all. She is a dedicated officer and we, the
public, are fortunate to have her serve us.
I wish her good luck and even more success in her profession.
Date Received: 22 July 2008
From: Franceska
Gnarowski, Office of Councillor Georges Bédard and a Member of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
J'ai pu
constater une amélioration de la situation pour ce qui est des prostitués (coin
Mona-Richelieu-Lafontaine) depuis les derniers jours, et meme si je vois moins
de policiers a vélo, je vois beaucoup plus d'autos patrouilles). Aussi, le PIMP qui se tenait avec certaines
de ces dames, parfois a pieds ou a vélo n'est plus dans le secteur (malgré le
fait que je l'ai vu a quelques reprises sur la Montréal pres de Jean
Coutu). On y voit quand meme des
prostitués sur la Richelieu, venant ou allant vers Lafontaine mais beaucoup
moins qu'auparavent et elles ne se dirigent plus vers Mona mais continuent
Richelieu. BRAVO ET MERCI - Bon travail
des policiers.
Date Received: 24 July 2008
From: Chief
of Police Ian Davidson, Greater Sudbury Regional Police
OPS Member:
Constable Dale Hayes
Excerpts from Letter:
I wish to commend Constable Dale Hayes for his
participation in a recent fundraising initiative entitled “Rick’s Big
Give”. Constable Hayes was quick to
initiate a fundraising initiative within your police service. In total, approximately $25,000 was raised,
which was used to assist a police family experiencing a financial burden
related to their child’s very rare and debilitating medical condition,
requiring frequent travel. Please
convey my sincere appreciation to Cst. Hayes for his support and assistance in
this endeavour.
Date Received: 24 July 2008
From: Chief
of Police Paul D. Cook, North Bay Police Service
OPS Members:
Integrated Criminal Intelligence Unit (ICIU)
Excerpts from Letter:
While conducting an investigation and surveillance, it was
revealed that suspects appeared to be travelling to the Ottawa area. The officers assigned to this surveillance
were unfamiliar with Ottawa. In
addition, surveillance in a large municipal setting would be difficult, if not
impossible with only four officers involved.
Your ICIU was contacted and without hesitation, agreed to assist us with
this surveillance. While your team was
conducting the surveillance, they observed the suspects receiving drugs from a
suspect in Ottawa. They followed the
suspects back to Arnprior where our officers resumed their surveillance. Once back in North Bay, the vehicle was
stopped and the suspects were arrested.
A subsequent search of their vehicle resulted in the seizure of 512
grams of cocaine, a small quantity of cannabis marijuana and cash. This has been the second such occasion where
the ICIU has assisted our Police Service with surveillance regarding a drug
investigation. I wish to take this
opportunity to once again express my sincere gratitude for allowing members of
your ICIU to assist our officers as well as to the members themselves for their
contribution to this successful investigation.
The level of professionalism and cooperation displayed by all of the
officers involved is something we can all be extremely proud of.
Date Received: 25 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Constable Emir Mesic
Excerpts from Letter:
About two months ago, I filed a complaint with the police
about an ex-boyfriend that had been bothering me. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I had heard a lot of
negative stories from female friends and I was also told I would probably get a
male officer coming to the house. The
police officer that arrived was Constable Mesic. The experience was everything that I wanted it to be. I was worried that my concerns would be
brushed away as unimportant or not serious enough, however, Cst. Mesic listened
to me, validated that it was good to take action at the early stages of a
conflict and to stop it before it became more dangerous. He was calm, rational, and detached, but
still empathetic. He had good intuition
and was able to pick up on things I hadn't even been aware of. He helped to calm me, reassure me, and
instead of just creating a file in case things got worse, he actually took
action, which I was not expecting. All
he did was call my ex-boyfriend and talk to him, but it was just the right
amount of action that the situation called for to help put it to an end. I have not had any trouble with him since
then. He was very thorough, polite, and
when he left, I felt very relieved and confident that no matter what happened,
I would be able to handle it. I would
like this information passed on to Cst. Mesic's superior so that he can get the
recognition that he deserves for being a good example and helping to restore my
faith in the force. My female friends
are amazed when they hear how professional and understanding he was, and I have
been able to reshape some views of how interactions with the police can
go. I was very pleased, and have been
meaning to write this for a while. I
wanted to thank Cst. Mesic for his service, and let his superiors know that he
is an outstanding officer. I would be
pleased to work with him anytime in the future. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Date Received: 25 July 2008
From: Temesghen Hailu, President and Executive Director,
The Association for Higher Education and Development (AHEAD)
OPS Member:
Constable Remi Doiron
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of Riverside Mall, I am
writing to thank you very sincerely for the professional, efficient and
effective job you performed in your assignment of 19 July 2008. I was very much impressed by your skill in
controlling the heavy volume of traffic outside of the Mall parking lot. Without your supervision, there might easily
have been a serious blockage in the circulation. Instead, all of the vehicles moved along briskly and the motorists
were satisfied that they were able to attend the event without any parking problems. Once again, please accept my thanks for
doing a superb job. You can be sure
that we will call on you to take control again next year.
Date Received: 27 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Constable Umer Khan
Excerpts from Letter:
A couple
of days ago, one of your cruisers was in our neighborhood (Orleans) and my
4-year-old daughter was interested in meeting a Police Officer for the first
time. Constable Khan was genuinely
friendly and very approachable and my daughter took an immediate liking to his
personality. He showed my daughter in
and around the Police Cruiser and was very interactive with her. I just wanted to thank Constable Khan for
his time and to tell you that I was overly impressed with how he carried
himself and how he represented the Ottawa Police Service.
Date Received: 29 July 2008
From: Ken Levac, VIP Cleaners & Parker Clean
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
We had an officer stop at our
business this morning, to update us on some storm drain covers which were
removed and tossed in the drain at Jeanne D'Arc Plaza, 6008 Voyageur Dr. She let us know that the persons responsible
were caught and that the Police have been patrolling at night. I wanted to thank you very much; I can only
imagine how difficult it is for the police to solve all these types of
crimes. I also would like to compliment
the officers who have attended the premises on various occasions for various
complaints. They were very courteous,
and very professional.
Date Received: 29 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Chief White, Acting Inspector Paul Johnston, Constable Felix Letellier
Excerpts from Letter:
I would
like to take a moment to express my amazement and delight when I received a
follow up call from Acting Inspector Paul Johnston’s constable today, Felix
Letellier. For more than a week now, I
have been struggling with a noise situation with a young tenant who lives next
door. Unfortunately, during the last
four days, the tenant has had his music on full blast until all hours of the
night. I have been following the
protocol of calling 311 for assistance and after 1 a.m. the calls are directed
to the Ottawa Police. Constable Letellier
responded to the call early Monday morning and had the opportunity to chat with
the tenant. No charges were laid. Tuesday morning, I called Acting Inspector
Johnston to find out the outcome of the situation. Johnston indicated that he would find out and get back to
me. Shortly afterwards, I received an
update and was displeased with the situation.
Johnston listened to me while I blew off some steam. At 4h30 today, I received a call from
Constable Letellier and I was very surprised but very pleased. We chatted and he took the time to explain
the situation and elaborated on the conversation he had had with the
tenant. It all made sense, but more
importantly, there was a follow up call made which made a huge difference. Certainly, a rapport was established, and I
understood the position taken and concurred with the outcome. With the numerous calls that I have made to
311, I have never received a call back or even a status on the situation. Chief White, I commend you and your staff
for a job well done. Thank you.
Date Received: 29 July 2008
From: Jeannette
Kanyandekwe, Assistant Director, Wilfrid Bitchoka, Director, Coopération
Intégration Canada
OPS Members: Constables
Joanne Pilotte and John Gibbons
Excerpts from Letter:
Nous
tenons à vous faire part de notre grande satisfaction relativement à la
presentation faite par les constables Joanne Pilotte et John Gibbons le 25
juillet 08 devant plus de 35 jeunes dans notre Organisme. Le lien entre la police et les jeunes
immigrants est très important et enrichissant pour la communauté. Nous avons et nous aurons toujours desoin de
votre participation pour améliorer l’éducation des jeunes dans la
communauté. Nous souhaitons avoir un
fort partenariat avec vous. Au nom de
toute l’équipe de CICAN et de tous les bénévoles, nous vous disons MERCI.
Date Received: 30 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Sergeant Richard Wilhelm, Constables Amy Matthijsse, Hak Hun Taing, Alan Tam
Excerpts from Letter:
Tuesday, July 29th
proved to be the hardest day of my life.
I received a phone call from one of your officers while at work, asking
me to come to my grandparent's residence.
Once there, a female officer told me that my grandmother had passed away
through the night. I did not get her name, but she was very professional, kind
and caring. It was made harder for me,
as my parents were out of town and I was left to receive the news and be with
my grandfather. Her voice, kindness and
professionalism were extremely stabling during a time when everything became
unstable. As well, two of your other
officers, Constable Tang and Sergeant Wilhelm, were extremely kind towards my
grandfather. They recognized his need
to simply chat and encouraged him to do so.
My grandfather comes from a military background – he served as Military
Police Chief in the Air Force – and has always had high respect and regard for
the police service. That respect has
grown tremendously through this difficult time. Your officers have played a large role in helping my grandfather
through his grief and for that I would like to pass on my endless thanks. Although it does not seem like enough, I
would like to pass on my gratitude to the Ottawa Police Service, as well as to
those officers who responded to my grandmother and took extra care for myself
and my grandfather. Thank you.
Date Received: 30 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member: Constable Luis
Quintanilla
Excerpts from Letter:
I would like to bring to
attention one of your officers who went beyond the call of duty: Luis
Quintanilla. On July 27th at around
3:30 am I called the Ottawa Police department as there was a vehicle parked and
blocking my parking spot (with my car parked there). As it is a private lot and 3:30 AM, the officer contacted his
sergeant so we could figure out a way to resolve this. I really appreciated his extra effort to
help find a solution. However, what
really made me feel like my dilemma was being taken seriously was when the
officer offered to try and get my vehicle out of the parking spot (after I had
tried myself unsuccessfully). Only by a hair, he managed to reverse my car past
the vehicle that was blocking my car so that I could FINALLY go home. In my eyes this was above his call of duty
and I wanted to bring to attention how professional and helpful he was. Thank you and kind regards.
Date Received: 31 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Acting Staff Sergeant Kalid Ghadban
Excerpts from Letter:
Keep up the good work, Staff Sgt. Kal Ghadban! (S/Sgt Ghadban is
mentioned in the Ottawa Sun article "Thiefs taken for ride" dated 31
July 2008.)
Date Received: 31 July 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
Hi there folks, I just wanted to say a quick thank
you. I heard about the arrests and
charges for street racing that were handed out on Hunt Club the other
night. I live in the neighbourhood and I appreciate action being taken. Thanks again!
Date Received: 01 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member:
Constable Emir Mesic
Excerpts from Letter:
On June 2 2008 my wife, a senior, had her car break down on
Carling Ave. Cst. Mesic helped to move
the car out of the traffic lane. He
also called CAA, aided my wife home and even checked on me later to see if the
CAA had come. We thought this was above
and beyond what was required but was very much appreciated. This past week my wife was taken to the
hospital and will have bypass surgery next week. This made us more appreciative of his actions.
Date Received: 01 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
I would like to compliment Ottawa Police on its
"bike bait" program. It is
exactly the type of proactive anti-crime measure that is making Ottawa a safer
and more pleasant city in which to live.
Keep up the good work.
Date Received: 02 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Chief Vern White, Sergeant
Jo-Anne Scott, Constables Keri Saunders and Steven Malo
Excerpts from Letter:
This
week our 18 year old son was swarmed and assaulted, his assailants were caught
by the diligent work of many officers, who responded to the 911 calls, which
came through. Two of which are Sergeant
Jo-Anne Scott and Constable Saunders, both of who exhibited not only such
professionalism, but also with outstanding compassion and care. We cannot thank them enough, for their
support during this difficult time, and please if you may share with them just
how extremely, and eternally grateful, we remain. We wanted to share this with you, they truly exemplify what law
enforcement is, at its best. Detective
Malo has been assigned to this case, and is being most extremely helpful, and
so dedicated, we cannot thank him enough, always taking the time to answer the
countless questions we have. Your
commitment to ensuring that all Canadians’ safety is paramount, only resonated
that much louder, as we know crime has no boundaries, first hand. Although it is such a challenge to keep
faith in humanity at a time like this, we hold steadfast that our justice
system will prevail, and that the unique and dedicated people such as yourself,
who give endlessly of their time and efforts to ensuring our safety, along with
my own brother who is a Detective, and continues to contribute his years on a
police force, to ensuring that our world can and deserves to be a better place. I thank you Chief White for leading such a
great team of officers and Detectives, in the quest for a safe and secure
environment for us all, that which we call home.
Date Received: 06 August 2008
From: Big
Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa
OPS Members:
Detective Tami Casselman and Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa and in
particular the Little Brothers and Little Sisters who participated, we offer a
BIG thanks for your contribution to the Kids n’ Kops 2008 program! The week was filled with lots of laughter
and fun, and is in large part due to the Ottawa Police Service’s
involvement. I would especially like to
thank Detective Tami Casselman for all of her hard work and commitment before
and during the week of the program.
Date Received: 06 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Constables Umer Khan and Min Soe Myo
Excerpts from Letter:
Thank you to Cst Umer Khan & Cst Min Soe Myo for
their assistance following a noise disturbance in Manotick on August 3. The officers were very professional and
helpful.
Date Received: 06August 2008
From: Kerry
Winnemore, Fundraising & Development Coordinator, Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service Pipe Band
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation staff and volunteers, and all the
families who must live with juvenile diabetes everyday, I would like to thank
you for the in-kind services provided by the Ottawa Police Service Pipe Band in
support of the 2008 TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes. Once again, I thank you and look forward to your continued
support.
Date Received: 08 August 2008
From: McGarry
Family Chapels, Hulse, Playfair & McGarry
OPS Members:
Chief Vern White, Traffic Escort Unit
Excerpts from Letter:
We want to take a moment to express our appreciation for
the professional escort assistance your officers provided for the Funeral
procession from our Central Chapel to the Cathedral, and later to the National
Military Cemetery. Your personal presence
representing Ottawa Police Services was very much appreciated by the family and
clergy and was an excellent example of your care and concern for a fallen
comrade in arms. We are ever grateful
for your continued help and cooperation.
Would you please pass on our appreciation to your officers.
Date Received: 08 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Constables Shyldon Safruk and Walter Lushman.
Excerpts from Letter:
I'd like to pass along thanks and
kudos to 2 fine Officers who came to our rescue on the Ottawa River this past
Monday August 4th, 2008. Our
boat motor seized up on us and we tried to flag down passing boaters who all
thought we were waving hello to them.
After a fruitless phone call to the Gatineau Police and the Gatineau Marina
(which was a mere 150 yards away) no one would commit to sending out a boat to
tow us in. I called the Ottawa Police
non-emergency number and my hubby spoke to a very helpful woman (sorry we
didn't catch her name) and told us she'd put out the call to see if the Ottawa
Police were on the waterway that afternoon.
Sure enough within 20 minutes we received a call back and they assured
us they were on the way. I guess basically
the boat breaking down on the last day of our holidays had gotten us down. Both officers were friendly, helpful and
once they had us safely towed into the Gatineau Marina we figured we'd have to
call a taxi and spend $$ on an expensive cab ride back to Petrie Island which
is where we keep our boat. These
wonderful officers asked how we planned to get back to Orleans, and talked
softly for a moment then said, grab a life vest and climb into the boat since
they had to head back to the Rockcliffe Marina for their vehicle. We were so grateful, but wait, even more
above and beyond what was required and/or necessary, once we docked with them
at the Rockcliffe Marina, they said hang on, we'll give you a drive to Petrie
Island. Well, all we both have to say
is on the very day when we were frustrated and annoyed and had no faith in the
kindness of others along came these 2 fine Police Officers. I would hope that they already know how very
much what they did for us was appreciated and that we know it was definitely
above and beyond what was required.
Thanks a million to both of them and if it's at all possible please let
them know they are great human beings as well as considerate and helpful
Officers of the Law. We were impressed
~ and we got to ride in the Police boat.
Very cool indeed.
Date Received: 11 August 2008
From: Leanne
Wight, Legal Aid Ontario
OPS Members:
Matt Chaput; Staff Sergeant Lyse Fournier, Sergeant Jeff Webster, Constables
Mireille Binet, Stephen Brown, Sarah Smith
Excerpts from Letter:
I am writing to formally express my personal thanks to a
member of your staff, Matt Chaput, whose assistance was critical in the
location and return of a child to his custodial parent last month. Mr. Chaput, by happenstance, became my
contact at the Ottawa Police and was instrumental in securing the child’s
return. While I appreciate that it was
not necessarily Mr. Chaput’s role to deal with this Court Order, he was the
only contact I had at the Ottawa Police Service. He patiently listened to my explanation of the situation when he
called to inquire as to why his office had received a copy of the Order. Mr. Chaput agreed to speak with the
supervisor of the patrol officers and put forward my pleas for assistance. The follow-up call from Mr. Chaput was to
advise me that your patrol officers had located the child and would be turning
him over to the Ottawa Children’s Aid Society.
Later that day the child was turned over to a very relieved father and
returned to his proper home. While this
would not constitute a high profile case in the public eye, it was certainly of
great importance to one family and the assistance extended by the Ottawa Police
Service has made a great impact on their lives. The efforts of Mr. Chaput, in particular, as well as the patrol
officers and the patrol supervisor are deeply appreciated and I would ask that
you pass on my thanks to all those involved.
The child’s father asked me to also convey his appreciation and that of
his family to the Ottawa Police Service.
I trust the efforts of your staff will be duly noted.
Date Received: 11 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Constables Andrew McAnany and David Pennock
Excerpts from Letter:
On July 5, 2008 my co-worker and I deemed it necessary to
call for assistance in dealing with an agitated, aggressive resident of an
Ottawa Carleton Lifeskills group home.
We would like to extend our thanks to the two officers who responded to
the call. They were both respectful and
supportive of the resident and of us.
They asked appropriate questions to assess the situation and acted
accordingly. With their help, we were
able to get the situation under control without any injuries or significant
damage to the property. We appreciate
that the people we care for at O.C.L. may, at times, present rather unique
challenges to the police and we think that the officers involved in this
situation took the special needs of this individual into account and dealt with
him appropriately.
Date Received: 12 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
I apologize for the delay in writing these remarks. I would like to commend the Members of the
OPS that were working on The Hill and around the downtown area on Canada
Day. I make a habit of observing
police/community interactions; all that I saw were very professional and fully
engaged with the community as the situations and circumstances demanded. It was nice to see the guys and gals
enjoying the day as working Members during this high profile day of national
community celebration.
Date Received: 13 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Constable Steven Lewis and the Street Crime Unit
Excerpts from Letter:
Please accept this e-mail as our encomium for the
recent crack down by Cst. Steven Lewis and the Street Crime Unit to the drug
dealing at our building. Their good
work should be recognized. On August 7/
08, on behalf of my father, I attended the Landlord Tenant Board by request of
a summons to assist with the eviction of a drug dealer who had been dealing
from the unit for at least year. They
have caused damages to the Landlord’s building on numerous occasions which
included B&E and damages to the Landlord’s cars. Without the Street Crime Unit’s investigation, which led to
trafficking charges against them, and the help of Cst. Steven Lewis, it would have
been very challenging to evict the tenants.
The tenants agreed to terminate the lease at the end of August therefore
a trial was avoided. The Landlord is
very grateful and wants me to pass on his appreciation to the Street Crime Unit
and Mr. Lewis for their hard work.
Thanks!
Date Received: 13 August 2008
From: Glen McCurdie Senior Director, Insurance
and Member Services, Hockey Canada
OPS Member: Constable
Ruth Armstrong
Excerpts from Letter:
I am just writing you to compliment
the Ottawa Police Service on the professional, courteous and prompt service
displayed by Detective Armstrong in dealing with a Break and Enter at our
corporate offices in Ottawa. Not only
did Detective Armstrong apprehend the individual responsible for the break in
at our offices, she also recovered all the stolen property we had listed as
missing. This all happened within one
week of the actual theft. Our staff in
particular appreciated the up front and polite manner in which she handled this
matter. In our opinion, Detective
Armstrong not only performed her job in an efficient manner she also provided a
personal touch that the OPS should be proud of. Chief White, Hockey Canada is fortunate in that we have not
called upon the services of the Ottawa Police Service with regularity in the
past. We will however approach any
further dealings with the OPS positively in light of this experience and
Detective Armstrong is directly responsible for this. She went above and beyond to assist us. Thanks for your time and for the services provided by the OPS, it
was a pleasurable conclusion to an incident that caused some anxiety within our
office.
Date Received: 14 August 2008, 18 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public; James Gilliland, President, West Barrhaven Community Association
OPS Members:
Constables Stephen Gorgichuk and Tara McDougall
Excerpts from Letters:
Letter #1 - Last Saturday our
community association held a speed awareness program with the hope of reducing
speeding in Stonebridge. We were
privileged to have Constables Steve Gorgichuk and Tara McDougall help us with
this initiative. I thought you might
like to know how very pleased we were with their help. They were very helpful, informative, took
time to answer questions, paid attention to the children. I must say that I was amazed at the
statistics on the dangers of speeding.
Chief White I believe these fine officers are an example of the
professionalism of the Ottawa Police and we are very fortunate to have them in
our community.
Letter #2 - On behalf of the West Barrhaven Community
Association, I would like to thank Constable Steve Gorgichuk and Constable Tara
McDougall for their participation in our 2nd Annual Family Fun Day. Whenever the WBCA hosts a special event we always try to
incorporate a community safety message, whether it is related to fire
prevention, first aid, or park safety.
Having a police motorcycle and cruiser onsite was a great attraction for
the young families. As a traffic
officer, Constable Gorgichuk did a fantastic job speaking with children of all
ages about the importance of wearing a helmet while bike riding. I've also received positive feedback from
residents who appreciated the opportunity to speak with a traffic officer about
their concerns. Constable McDougall has
done a fantastic job since taking on the role of Community Police Officer in
Barrhaven. Her enthusiasm in working
with our community association on community improvement projects and safety
initiatives is greatly appreciated. I
am also grateful to the two volunteers from BCPC who fingerprinted over 90
children as part of the Child Print Program and distributed Neighbourhood Watch
information to area residents.
Date Received: 17 August 2008
From: Sergeant
Clem Paradis, Ontario Provincial Police, Upper Ottawa Valley Detachment
OPS Members:
Ms. Patricia Caron, Constable Brenda Malloy, Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
In relation to a recent missing person case: Just a quick
note of appreciation for your Police Services for a job well done. The cooperation between the OPP & Ottawa
PS agencies was great. Cst. Brenda
Malloy was also very helpful. To Ms. Patricia Caron - Please accept my sincere appreciation for your assistance
provided this date. Your work performance with this matter was quick and EXCELLENT. Your efforts led to the proper dispatching
of police personnel to the scene where the subject was located nearby. The complainant and
family were quite satisfied with the happy ending. Coming from another
Police Service, I think its important to recognize your professionalism. Please do not hesitate
to share this email with your supervisor. Well done & thanks
again.
Date Received: 18 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Member: Constable Pierre
Fournier
Excerpts from Letter:
On Friday I was at Lone Star with a friend and at the end
of the evening we discovered that the car had been broken into and both of our
purses were missing. We just happened
to see Constable Pierre Fournier soon after we discovered the theft. Constable Fournier went above and beyond in
dealing with our situation. One of my
main concerns was due to the fact that my keys had been in my purse, therefore,
whoever had my purse knew where I lived and had my keys. Constable Fournier followed us back to my
apartment, arranged for a locksmith to come and waited until I was back in my
apartment and the lock was changed. He
was also kind enough to first talk with the locksmith and advised him that I
would have to pay him at a later time as I had no cash or credit cards on
me. Having my purse stolen was
definitely not a great end to the evening, however, as a result of Constable
Fournier’s assistance, the whole experience was not as horrible as it otherwise
could have been. This was really my
first experience with the Ottawa Police Service, and I must say, I was very
impressed.
Date Received: 19 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
Today's news story reminded me to
say "Thank You". I live on a
side street near Carling and Merivale, formerly the drag strip on Saturday
nights (or should I say Sunday mornings).
Thanks to the Ottawa Police, what was a roaring dragway five years ago
is now a peaceful neighbourhood street.
Thank you!
Date Received: 19 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
To Whom It May Concern (read:
wonderful people in blue!): I would like to thank you with everything I have
for the raid on the crack house on Shakespeare a week or two ago and for the prostitution
and john sweep recently. I know that
the police are often "dumped" on but I would like you to know I am
one person only too happy to say thank you for all the amazing work you do
every day, from the beat cops on Montreal Road (we think you're great!) to the
undercover officers. You are truly
amazing people. As a resident of Vanier
I can say we would not have made the progress we have in cleaning up the neighbourhood without
the very solid support from the police.
As residents, we call in on issues from a prostitute working a corner
near our homes to drunks yelling to johns stalking us on the streets to drugs
and you are always there. Often before
we're even off the phone with dispatch.
THANK YOU! I often reference
Vanier when people discuss other communities struggling to deal with
crime. I feel because of your support
Vanier is setting a great example!
Other areas can learn from Vanier and it just wouldn't have been
possible without your amazing officers!
Bravo!
Date Received: 19 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
Thank you for the attention you
have been giving to Vanier and for the support you have shown to everyone who
aims to improve our community experience.
I have seen a great improvement these last 10-12 months and I appreciate
the commitment you have made to rid Vanier of drugs, prostitution and other
illegal activities. Whereby, I once
feared getting off the bus on Montréal Rd to walk down to my home (rather, I
tended to take a Beechwood bus) or walking alone in Vanier (even during the
day) because of the many times I was subtly or overtly solicited, I now feel
more comfortable in my neighbourhood.
I credit & applaud you for your quick response to complaints, your various
(foot, bike & car) patrols, your vigilance, and your many 'sweeps' of
Vanier. Kudos to the Ottawa Police
Force!!
Date Received: 20 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
I want to thank you so much for your support in helping us
reclaim our community. My husband grew
up in Vanier and owned the confectionary store on Montfort St for 23 yrs and we
have lived as a couple here for 24 yrs.
We chose to live here and have 3 children now in their late teens. We always enjoyed good community support and
felt safe until about the late 90's. We
have seen Vanier get overcome by despair following the amalgamation with Ottawa
and the loss of our support system and our identity. Our population grew older and were less present in parks and on
streets. Some residences were left in
poor upkeep, the streets were dirty and there was an influx of drug dealers and
prostitutes. Rents where cheap and
these landlords did not live around the area and so they did not care. With your help you have given us hope and
courage to take back our streets. You
have given us tools to help with deadbeat landlords and bad tenants. Your creation of the beat team and their
easy interaction with the residents have given us support, courage and hope
that we can soon feel safe in our environment.
You have encouraged us and supported us when we have called in drug
deals and prostitution. The police response
time has been much better which is contributing to our feeling safer and
wanting to be out and about. We have a
walking group now "eyes on Vanier" that walk around twice a week and
report all sorts of problems and we are meeting each other’s neighbours and
members of our community where before people stayed in their own home and did
not mingle with their neighbours very much.
We speak to the Beat Patrol as well and they are all very nice. So again thank you for believing in Vanier
and helping its residents find some community belonging in a safer environment.
Date Received: 21 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Ottawa Police Service
Excerpts from Letter:
I live in the area of Carling and Churchill and I just
wanted to send along my thanks for the Ottawa Police's responsive efforts in
our neighbourhood.
While I still believe I live in a safe and secure place, there have been
some early signs of trouble emerging in recent months. Lately I have noticed that there is a much
stronger police presence on our street and on those surrounding us. It's good to know that the Ottawa Police
recognize the need for early intervention here before things go too far. I hope that the very small minority of area
residents who insist on behaving inappropriately are well warned by your increased
vigilance. Thanks again for all of your
hard work.
Date Received: 21 August 2008
From: Brian
Attfield, Paramedic, Lanark County Paramedic Service
OPS Member:
Constable Bonita Grozelle
Excerpts from Letter:
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of running into one of
your officers on a call. The officer
was off-duty, on vacation and camping with her family in the vicinity of Smiths
Falls. While at the Burger King in
Smiths Falls, this officer witnessed a 13 year old male patient collapse in the
restaurant and was unconscious for ~10 seconds. The officer rushed to his assistance, taking charge of the scene,
calling 911, and performing first aid that was some of the most professional I
have ever seen. I would even say that
the first aid rendered was more effective and assisted the patient more than
some first aid assistance I have seen from nurses. The officer assessed the patient, helped him to a chair, cooled
him down and monitored his vitals. On
our arrival she was able to provide us with a very detailed report of the
events preceding as well as a detailed history and a set of vitals for the
patient. I was very, very impressed -
she stepped up to the plate on her time off, in a foreign town and looked after
this young man until we were able to arrive and help with more advanced
interventions. Due to her quick
assistance, the patient was able to be quickly discharged to his aunt after
being assessed in the Smiths Falls emergency department. For her quick action, intervention and
assistance, she is to be commended. If
you could track her down and thank her - I would appreciate it.
Date Received: 25 August 2008
From: Peter
Deschamps, Director, Special Investigations Branch, Ontario Ministry of Revenue
OPS Members:
Constables Maureen O’Neil and Cedric Nizman
Excerpts from Letter:
I wish to take this
opportunity to extend our appreciation for the assistance provided by
Constables O’Neil and Nizman in executing a search warrant. The presence and support provided by the
officers was instrumental in the overall effectiveness and success of the search
action. Once again, thank you for your
cooperation.
Date Received: 26 August 2008
From: Member
of the Public
OPS Members:
Constables Katherine Plomp and Ed Cristina, Sergeant Jamie Dunlop
Excerpts from Letter:
On behalf of the residents of our street, we would like to
thank the Ottawa Police Department for the support provided over the last few
months. We moved to Barrhaven 3 years
ago from Vancouver. The problems started
when unsupervised teenage neighbours moved in four months later. I won’t go into the problems with them as
they are well documented with your department, only to say our life had been a
nightmare. Our son, a Constable with
the Vancouver Police, tried to assist from afar but soon realized we required
the help of the local police. He
contacted a friend, Constable Plomp who immediately phoned us, asked questions
about the situation and although assigned to the east end detachment contacted
the west unit and that was the call that brought an end to our problem. Shortly after, Constable Cristina came to
our home, listened to our concerns and the concerns of other neighbours and
agreed we needed help. He put our minds
at ease by telling us that we did have valid concerns, and the police were there
to help us. The problem escalated over
the next couple of weeks however Cst. Cristina kept in touch providing
support. If it weren’t for his
intervention our situation would still be ongoing. Cst. Cristina is a very professional officer, personable and we
feel a definite asset to the Ottawa Police Department. Cst. Cristina provided a regular presence on
the street. The neighbours in question
have since vacated the house. On behalf
of the entire street we want to thank Cst. Plomp, Cst. Cristina, and Sergeant
Jamie Dunlop for all their help. If we
didn’t have the support of the Ottawa Police Department and Cst. Cristina in
particular we would still be involved in that horrible situation.
Date Received: 2 September 2008
From: General
W.J. Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff, National Defence
OPS Members:
see excerpt for names
Excerpts from Letter:
The Chief of the Defence Staff Change of Command Ceremony held on 2 July 2008 at the Canada Reception Centre at the Uplands site in Ottawa was a resounding success, due in great part to the exceptional service provided by your police officers, namely Staff Sergeant Shaun Brabazon, Sergeant Steven Desjourdy, Acting Sergeant Russell Lucas, Constable Nigel Emaman, Constable Carissa Beck, Constable Umer Khan, and Constable Matthew Cox. Both the military and civilian personnel who attended the event expressed repeated praise for the outstanding quality of service your officers provided, and for the professionalism they demonstrated throughout the planning and execution phases. My staff has advised me that it was indeed a pleasure for them to work with your staff to organize this complex event. Thank you for contributing to the success of our ceremony. Please convey my sincere appreciation to your staff members.