Several Chatham-Kent police officers, along with an emergency communications manager and a psychiatric assessment nurse, were recognized for their collective efforts to help a former Chatham man who struggled with mental illness.
Constables Ed Rota, Kelly McCormack, Gary Oriet, Curtis Conn, Jessica Butler Andrew Brown, Josh Rose, Dan Carroll and Steve Hubley, Sgt. Mike Hakr, emergency communications manager Sheri Somerville and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance psychiatric assessment nurse Christine Cogghe all received a Deputy Chief’s Letter of Recognition during Wednesday’s meeting of the Chatham-Kent Police Services Board.
Deputy Chief Kirk Earley told the board the late Robert Thomas Martin had struggled with mental illness over the past four years, which resulted in several calls for assistance that the recognized officers responded to during those times.
“These interactions included (Martin) wandering the street in the cold, unsure of where he lived, going in and out of strangers’ vehicles and the threat of suicide.”
Earley said officers implemented “crisis de-escalation techniques” on many occasions to calm Martin down, which included actively listening to him and “ultimately get him assessed and admitted in order to receive treatment from health-care professionals.”
The deputy chief said Martin unfortunately succumbed to his illness earlier this year on April 8, but added “the empathetic, compassionate and composed demeanour of the responding officers and emergency communications manager will remain forever etched in the loving memory of his mother and father.”
Earley told those being recognized: “Your kindness, compassion and professionalism exhibited our core values and further demonstrated a commitment to the safety and protection of our community.”
Some of Martin’s family attended the brief presentation.
Chief Gary Conn offered the police service’s deepest condolences.
“I appreciate not words or actions can alleviate the pain of losing a child,” the chief said.
He added it was hoped the family’s participation at the board meeting to recognize the efforts involved those over the past years “will mitigate and facilitate some further closure to this tragic event.”