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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE:
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27 January 2014 |
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TO/DEST:
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Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM/EXP:
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Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT/OBJET:
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LETTERS OF COMMENDATION
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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 (OPS).
(Original signed by)
Charles Bordeleau
Chief of Police
Attach. (1)
Responsible for the report: Director John Steinbachs
LETTERS OF COMMENDATION
Date Received: 17 October 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Sgt Robert Hagarty
Excerpts from letter: I write this email commending Sgt Hagarty within the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). In the past six years, I have worked as a loss prevention officer for high theft locations. Throughout these years, I met several officers. Sgt Hagarty is the one who made me realize my passion to join the OPS. I have never observed an officer with so much expertise and dedication for his position. It is refreshing to meet an officer that has so much pride in his uniform and duty that can reflect on. Sgt Hagarty displayed an abundant amount of respect, integrity and compassion. I wish there were more officers like him as professors within the Algonquin College Police Foundation’s program as I believe myself and my classmates would have learnt a lot by his commendable expertise, talent and commitment.
Date Received: 21 October 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Jean Benoit
Excerpts from letter: I just wanted to thank Cst. Benoit and all the officers that attended for a co-worker and friend. The impressive quick response, true professionalism and support was appreciated. It's nice to know that you have our backs when something goes wrong. I feel blessed to have people like Cst. Benoit and the other officers who responded as part of my extended family.
Date Received: 1 November, 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Carl DeJong
Excerpts from letter: I attended the Ottawa Civic Prayer Breakfast this morning. There was a young police officer who spoke on behalf of the police. He spoke incredibly well – articulate, well-structured, meaningful and thoughtful remarks. I thought his honesty on behalf of his fellow service persons was outstanding and wanted this conveyed to him and to his boss – who obviously gave him the time off to do it. It was wonderful to see so many of our fine first responders present. I know that the police officers do not often get thanked or recognized enough and this opportunity to do so was a credit to the people there and the appreciation so many have of their outstanding work.
Date Received: 5 November 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Members: Cst. Michael Fournier and Cst. Marc Daviault
Excerpts from letter: My son and two friends were caught trying to shoplift. I was impressed with how the officers handled the situation. They were very firm and definite without being aggressive and at the same time showed compassion and understanding towards the boys. I was very emotional at the time and did not thank them properly. I hope you can pass this on to them and their supervisor(s). I hope their talk with the boys will make a lasting impression and we don't end up in this situation again.
Date Received: 13 November 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Andrew Worth
Excerpts from letter: My daughter was robbed while waiting at a bus stop. The responding officer was quick, efficient and most of all kind to my daughter. She has a brain injury and I was worried that the questions would confuse her but he was kind and patient with her. He took the time to explain things to her so she understood what was going on and to reassure her that she was not at fault. He also gave her tips to help protect herself in the future while assuring her she did everything right. Thank you for making a very horrible situation a little more bearable.
Date Received: 18 November 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Yanick Charron
Excerpts from letter: My 20 year old daughter was in a car accident that was entirely her fault. I wish to thank Cst. Charron for his professionalism and kindness in the way he handled this accident. He could have made an already upset young driver feel worse but his calming assurances that it could happen to anyone helped my daughter in her highly emotional state. He could probably have given her a larger ticket or fine but realizing how upset she was he chose not to. He did stress the severity of her actions without demeaning her or making her feel worse than she already felt. As the father of this kid I want to thank this officer for the way he chose to handle this situation. He assessed that this wasn't some hot rod driver but just a kid that made a terrible mistake and handled it appropriately. Kudos to you Cst. Charron! You struck a perfect balance of letting her know the seriousness of the situation while leaving her confidence to drive intact.
Date Received: 24 November 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Yourik Brisewood
Excerpts from letter: I would like to thank constable Brisewood very much for being on the scene after my quite serious car accident. He was very helpful, understanding, courteous and professional in the way he handled me and all the other people at the scene. Thanks for being there!
Date Received: 28 November 2013
From: Member of the Public
OPS Members: Cst. Vassil Martinov, Cst. Christopher Warren and Sgt Damien LaFlamme
Excerpts from letter: Recently, my brother-in-law suffered a severe heart attack at his residence. My sister called 911 and paramedics and Ottawa Police arrived quickly on the scene. When I arrived the paramedics and police officers were actively engaged in CPR on my brother-in-law. Sadly, there was no pulse and after a lengthy and exhausting period of time, CPR was stopped and my brother-in-law pronounced dead. I would like to thank the two OPS officers who were first on the scene: Cst. Martinov and Cst. Warren as well as Sergeant LaFlamme who arrived during the event. These men worked diligently and professionally in a very upsetting situation for my sister and myself. Sergeant LaFlamme was especially helpful with the logistics such as coroner notification and body removal agency. At all times, these three men exhibited a calm and professional demeanor and were very comforting to my sister and to me. Both my sister and her husband are deaf. The officers were very aware of this when speaking slowly to my sister (she lip reads very well) to explain what steps had to be taken. Cst. Warren was kind enough to wait with us until the body removal agency came along. As a retired teacher and principal, I know how important it is to acknowledge good work. While I understand that this action is all 'part of the job', the sympathy and professional approach by these officers was greatly appreciated and evidence of what a fine Police Department we are fortunate to have here in Ottawa. Thank you.
Date Received: 4 December
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Dawn Neilly-Sylvestre
Excerpts from letter: I write to commend Cst. Dawn Neilly-Sylvestre who dealt with a traffic incident last November. She was patient, courteous, compassionate and understanding throughout the incident. She made a conscious effort to keep me calm and to be fair with both parties involved in the incident. I also appreciated her efforts during the follow-up of the incident. I strongly believe that Cst. Dawn Neilly-Sylvestre is a strong asset to the Ottawa Police Department.
Date Received: 5 December
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Michael O’Reilly
Excerpts from letter: I wanted to express my sincere thanks to Cst. Mike O’Reilly who went out of his way for me. My dog, a miniature schnauzer, and I were attacked by a bullmastiff. I was in a lot of pain and in shock. When the ambulance came, I had to be immobilized as I had suffered a head injury and my little dog couldn’t come in the ambulance. I was so upset and didn’t have my cellphone to contact anyone to pick her up. Cst. O’Reilly kindly offered to take my dog home and pick up my cellphone for me so she could then be taken to the animal hospital. I was so thankful as I couldn’t focus on my injuries as I was too concerned about my dog and didn’t know how severe her injuries were as she too was in shock. Cst. O’Reilly quickly returned with my phone and keys and advised me that she seemed to be okay for now. All this was very reassuring at the time. When Cst. O’Reilly secured the scene, he stepped on a nail in the back yard and required a tetanus shot at the hospital. He also stayed at the hospital which I appreciated. I am a big supporter of the Ottawa Police and felt safe knowing he was there. It is officers like him that make your department proud and make citizens such as myself very thankful for those who go beyond the call of duty to help someone. These acts of kindness need to be recognized which is why I wrote you.
Date Received: 10 December
From: Member of the Public
OPS Members: Cst. Andrea Cohen and Cst. Bernard Covic
Excerpts from letter: A few weeks ago, my sister and I discovered a woman who needed help as she was disoriented from having had too much alcohol, got separated from her companions and did not have a place to sleep. It was an extremely cold night so we encouraged her to get into our vehicle and we drove her to the building of a male friend of hers. When the man came to the main door he told me that he would take care of everything. As I turned to leave the building the man began hurting the woman so I ran back and walked her away from him as my sister phoned the police. The two officers who arrived were Andrea Cohen and Bernard Covic and I would like to commend them for their exceptional service. They were caring and empathetic toward the woman while remaining professional and they addressed the actions of the male effectively and fairly. They diffused a potentially volatile situation and ensured that the woman was taken to a safe and warm place for the night and that she would get something to eat before going to the shelter. Please extend my thanks and gratitude to Cst. Cohen and Cst. Covic and let them know that I have been in touch with the woman and she is doing well on all levels. I hope that these officers will be recognized for their service. I can only imagine what potentially dangerous situations police officers face every day. I have addressed many delicate situations in my line of work but when a situation escalated I was always able to rely on the strength and expertise of the Ottawa Police Service and this night was no exception. I have great respect for those who keep us safe. I hope that you know that you do make a difference.
Date Received: 11 December
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Nermin Mesic
Excerpts from letter: Just a quick note with something nice to say about Cst. Nermin Mesic. My girlfriend called me from a witness’ cell phone, after she had been bumped by a car as a pedestrian, with the driver leaving the scene. Over the call, I had misunderstood – I thought she had been in a serious accident while driving, so I thought it was serious. When I ran down from my office to the scene, I burst in with questions and could not understand why a charge may not be laid, and was quite insistent with the Constable that something be done right away. In a few moments, my girlfriend explained what happened and that it had not been that severe. I have to say, Cst. Mesic dealt with me very well, considering I was really upset thinking a major accident had taken place. We chatted after when I came over to explain why I had been confused and insistent at first. Good cop: great presence and scene control, yet calm.
Date Received: 16 December
From: Member of the Public
Excerpts from letter: I was in the Mall the other day and there were a lot of Ottawa Police shopping and each one had a young child with them. I was looking at something in a window and one young boy looked up at the Officer that he was with and said, thank you for bringing me shopping today sir! The Officer responded it was my pleasure! A Huge Hats Off to the Ottawa Police, what a great gesture you have done for these young children!
Date Received: 17 December
From: Member of the Public
OPS Member: Cst. Shane Gregan
Excerpts from letter: I must thank Cst. Gregan for his kind help during the events that occurred after the attempted robbery of my knap sack. He was instrumental in insuring that I left the scene with minimal trauma after such an unnerving event. I feel reassured that Ottawa has a police force that responds quickly and professionally to such incidents.
Date Received: 19 December
From: Member of the Public
OPS Members: Sergeant Jennifer Cote, Cst. Doug Stevenson, Cst. Stephen Plummer and Cst. Amy Gagnon-Friesen
Excerpts from letter: A couple of weeks ago, my dad came home from work to discover my mother had passed away very unexpectedly. He was devastated and in shock. When he called me to tell me the terrible news, he could barely speak and he gave the phone to a police officer (Sgt Cote) who patiently explained to me everything that was going on and answered my questions as well as she could. She was so kind and understanding with me on the phone at a very difficult time. She made sure that I wasn't alone by calling my mother-in-law for me and she stayed with my father for hours, making sure he was alright and had something to eat as everything was sorted out. My family is very grateful for her kindness and for being so helpful at such a terrible time. If it is possible, please pass along our heartfelt thanks to her. Thank you.