Ottawa detective remembered as an intelligent, charismatic officer
Posted Sep 28, 2019 05:49:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The death by suicide of an Ottawa police officer, inside police headquarters on Elgin Street, has left officers in mourning and the police service looking for what more it can do to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Det. Thomas Roberts, 35, was a detective in the robbery unit. He was found dead at headquarters, Friday night, Interim Chief Steve Bell told 1310 NEWS in a phone interview on Saturday.
“He was an intelligent, energetic, charismatic officer who had a definite positive impact on the teams he worked on and the community,” said Bell.
Roberts was a former RCMP officer in Western Canada who joined the Ottawa Police Service in 2016, and was known as 'Tom' by fellow members in the service.
When Roberts was working on the front lines, Bell presented him with a Chief's Commendation when he and two members of his squad entered a burning building to rescue a man.
Roberts is survived by his wife and one child, who have asked for privacy.
Flags were at half-mast at the Elgin Street headquarters on Saturday.
The death occurred almost five years after another local officer, Staff Sgt. Kal Ghadban, also died by suicide at police headquarters.
“We've spent the last number of years really trying to invest and make sure that we have good supports for our members within the organization,” said Bell, who acknowledges that there's more work to be done. “We need to make sure that any barriers that exist like stigma for officers to access mental health programming or support programming are removed.”
The service works with the Ottawa Police Association to identify supports that are needed for their officers.
“We've had many members reach out, trying to resolve it or trying to have some sort of answer to it,” said Matt Skof, Ottawa Police Association president. “You have such a connection within our culture to those experiencing or suffering and trying to figure out if there's something that relates to you.”
If you are in need of help, here are some mental health resources:
Ottawa Suicide Prevention: 613-238-3311
Ottawa Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-722-6914
Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-277-3553
