REPORT RAPPORT

DATE:	25 March 2013
TO/DEST:	Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM/EXP:	Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service
SUBJECT/OBJET:	LETTERS OF COMMENDATION

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)

Charles Bordeleau

Chief of Police

Attach. (1)

Responsible for the report:  John Steinbachs

LETTERS OF COMMENDATION

Date Received: 7 January 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Members: Sgt. Martin Tanguay, Cst. Elizabeth Anvari and Cst. Christine Schulz

Excerpts from Letter: Concerned colleagues called police due to an email I sent stating I was about to give up.  They found their way into my condo, and every single one of them was kind.  No force, no intimidation and that includes paramedics as well.  How young people can be empathetic like that still amazes me. I am doing a bit better now.

Date Received:  16 January 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Members: Cst. Jose Barahona, Cst. Anthony Wilson, Cst. Caroline Hall, Cst. Chabin Tucker and Cst. Sean Kay

Excerpts from Letter: In the early hours of Sunday morning January 6, police officers were called to respond to complaints about our son's behaviour.  The officers who arrived were incredibly insightful and articulate in assessing the situation and communicating to him and to us the options and consequences.  As a result of their calm intervention, the situation deescalated quickly.  We would like to thank them and to bring our satisfaction to your attention.

Date Received: 13 December 2012

From: Member of the Public

OPS Member: Cst. Craig Barlow

Excerpts from Letter: I was afforded the opportunity of participating in the Ottawa Police Service's "Ride Along" program.  Following this enlightening and interesting experience I can assure you that the program is accomplishing its primary goal of giving residents a firsthand view of police work in Ottawa. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the members of the OPS who welcomed me that evening including the duty sergeant who followed up with a courtesy call to get my feedback the day after my ride along session.  I would like to commend and express my sincere thanks to Cst. Craig Barlow for allowing me to accompany him during his duty shift that evening.  He was the epitome of professionalism, dedication and dignity. He was open and forthcoming in providing me with insights into the craft of community policing and he patiently responded to all of my questions in a good natured and friendly manner.

Date Received: 30 January 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Members: Cst. Marc Fleury, Cst. Franzisca Herzig and Cst. Attilio Cazares 

Excerpts from Letter: Following an accident, I had my car towed to a garage with an agreed price of $175 for the service.  However, once we got to the garage, the tow truck driver decided to charge me $226 instead of the original amount.  The towing company called the police department and three officers were sent to the garage.  All three officers were greeted in a hostile way by the driver but remained calm and tried their best to come up with a solution.  They were extremely nice and polite despite the fact that they were getting verbal abuse by the driver. I know that generally police officers are not very much appreciated and are often criticized but today I would like to express my gratitude for their patience and understanding in dealing with that issue.  Though I did end up paying $226, I was very happy with the way all three officers handled everything and I wanted to take the time to thank them and let their department know that they have three very capable and sympathetic officers on their team!

Date Received: 30 January 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Members: Cst. Jeff Meness and Cst. Mark Lystiuk

Excerpts from Letter: I am a stay at home mom with our three children, and my husband is a Firefighter for the City of Ottawa; we are sending you this email to share with you our most genuine and sincere gratitude towards Cst. Mark Lystiuk, and Cst. Jeff Meness.  On January 28th, 2013, I encountered an experience that I will never forget; my son experienced a Febrile Seizure.  My heart stopped at the sight of our two year old son's eyes rolling to the back of his head, and his lips turning blue, laying limp and unresponsive; I have never experienced anything so terrifying in my life.  Within seconds I was talking with a 911 operator, and within moments a Police car was at our home.  Upon arrival, Cst. Jeff Meness not only addressed our son, but as well assured and comforted our older children.  He acted quickly and efficiently attending to his needs and addressed all areas of concern pertaining to his history and present health condition.  Although I was in a panicked state there was a part of me that new that our son was being taken care of by someone with great sincerity.  Mr. Meness remained by my son’s side and continued to monitor his breathing rate for the entire time.  Upon the arrival of Cst. Mark Lystiuk, again, my older children were immediately addressed, and comforted - and reassured that their little brother was going to be taken care of, and at how brave they were both being.  My panic and hysteria at the sight of our son not responding to my touch or voice was lessened dramatically by both officers taking control of an otherwise uncontrollable situation.  Both Mr. Meness, and Mr. Lystiuk remained calm and reassuring the entire time of my son’s distress.  Chief Bordeleau, I can only imagine the situations that you and your team must encounter daily.  This past Monday is a day that I will never forget, and the images of my son in distress will remain with me forever; but with that day, and the nightmare that I encountered, there are also the memories of two officers who with their utmost care and concern addressed a terrifying situation, and made otherwise for our older children less scary, and more understandable; and for me, the mother - a nightmare more controlled, and realistic. 

Date Received:  28 December 2012

From: Member of the Public

OPS Member: Cst. Zdzislaw Kogutowicz

Excerpts from Letter: I called 911 as my wife had collapsed and Cst. Zdzislaw Kogutowicz was one of the many emergency responders that attended at my residence.  I wish to inform you of the very professional and caring manner that Cst. Kogutowicz carried out his duties. He transported me to the Civic hospital where my wife actually passed away in the emergency room.  Cst. Kogutowicz exhibited compassion and strength which helped me deal with the most emotional and upsetting time I have experienced.  I am a former member of the RCMP and I know that police officers go unrecognized for their valiant efforts in carrying out their duties.  I wanted to bring this to your attention as well as to Cst. Kogutowicz and his fellow patrol officers.  

Date Received: 13 February 2013

From:  Joy Smith, MP

OPS Member: Cst. Wendy Lee

Excerpts from Letter: I was particularly gratified to see a specialized officer assigned to reach out to sex trade workers.  The trust built between police officers and the sex trade worker is of paramount importance.  Often sex trade workers are trafficked against their will and are compelled to raise large amounts of money for those who control them.  They are particularly afraid to speak to police officers due to the fact that they could put themselves at risk.  I have been particularly impressed with one of your officers, Wendy Lee.  I have met her several times at presentations and events.  She has an unusual capacity for understanding the dilemma these girls are in, and her nonjudgmental attitude towards them opens new doors to allow them to have the courage to break free from those who control them.  I know because I have worked with victims for over a decade.  It is rare to meet a police officer such as Wendy Lee with such profound skills at gaining the trust of these fragile victims.  Her work with this community is making a big difference.

Date Received: 31 January 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Members: Cst. Daniel Deschamps and  Cst. Vassil Martinov

Excerpts from Letter: Two of your officers went to check on my father as someone believed he was in distress.  Dad suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and he was very worried about something and wanted the police to look into it.  From what I understand the officers checked up on him and to avoid alarming him told him they knew he was former Armed Forces and just stopped to say hello.  This was a wonderful gesture and very much appreciated by our family. Thank you so very much.

Date Received: 13 December 2012

From: Member of the Public

OPS Members: A/Sgt. Christopher Hrnchiar, Donna Johnson

Excerpts from Letter: On behalf of my mother, myself and our family I wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to A/Sgt. Christopher Hrnchiar on the compassion he showed when responding for the recent passing of my brother.  It was very difficult news to hear and Cst. Hrnchiar went over and above to ensure both dignity and grace in how he handled the case and manner in which he proceeded with breaking the news to my elderly mother.  He took care to engage a colleague from the Victims Crisis Unit, Donna Johnson, to accompany him as he realized that our mother was elderly and was not sure how fragile a state she would be in or if she would be alone at the time of their visit.  Donna Johnson of the Victims Crisis Unit stayed with my mother after they broke the news to her so she would not be alone.  She gave a very soulful ear and kept my mother company as Cst. Hrnchiar came to my office to drive me back home. As difficult as it was to hear that news, I was grateful that Cst. Hrnchiar was able to inform me so quickly.  We wanted to not only thank these two individuals, Chris and Donna personally but also share our "thank you" with their colleagues and supervisors and management teams. It is comforting to the family to know that there are such good people and teams working every day with the public to make a difference.  In our case, from the initial contact with us on the date of my brothers passing to the online condolence message and follow up call to find out how the family was doing in the days following, all these actions touched our hearts more than you can know.

Date Received: 6 February 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Member: Cst. Sherry Jordan

Excerpts from Letter: I listened to the interview today on CBC Radio 'All in a Day' with Cst. Jordan of the Youth Section.  Besides learning about one of our community's enduring issues - youth mental health - I was struck by the knowledge, sensitivity, and compassion expressed by Cst. Jordan.  We are fortunate to have Cst. Jordan (and others in the police service) working within our community.  We're in good hands! 

Date Received: 11 February 2013

From: Member of the Public

OPS Member: Cst. Chris McGuinness

Excerpts from Letter: I needed to thank you for listening to me this morning.  As someone who suffers from severe depression, anxiety, and panic disorder, I can become easily distraught when trying to connect to people.  The call centre transferred me to Cst. McGuinness, who paid attention, made some suggestions, and helped simply by listening.  It might not seem like much to some, but these days, the art of listening and caring are far too often the exception and not the rule, and need to be highlighted.  Please forward my gratitude to Cst. McGuinness.