Officer who died by suicide at police HQ was 'great investigator'

An Ottawa police officer who died bysuicide Fridayat police headquarters was a "great investigator and great detective," the force's interim chief says.

Interim Chief Steve Bell said policereceived a call Friday afternoon about an officer in distress at their Elgin Street headquarters, and when they arrived, he was found dead.

Bell identified the officer Saturday as Det. Thomas Roberts.

Roberts, 35, joined Ottawa policefrom the RCMP in 2016. Heworked as a patrol officer before joining the robbery unit18 months ago.

He leaves behind his wife and a nine-month-old child.

'So challenging' to understand

In 2018, Robertsreceived a chief's commendation after he was part of a team of officers who ran into a burning building to rescue a man.

Bell said he spent Saturday speaking with officers who knew Roberts and worked with him.

"It's a pretty consistent picture of a great officer that's coming out. He was described as charismatic, energetic and known for his hard work on the road and helping people solve problems when they're in crisis. And [he] was known as a great investigatorand a great detective in the robbery unit," Bell said.

"That's what makes this so challenging for us to comprehend and understand as we move ahead."

'We do a tough job'

Bell said the force is reaching out to its officers who areboth on and off-duty today to make sure they know what supports areavailable to them.

"We do a tough job. We ask people to go out and do an extremely tough job every single day, and we know it has a toll on them," he said.

When tragedies like this happen, it's a sign more needs to be done to support officers' mental health, Bell said.

Peter Sloly, who will be taking command as the force's next chief in October, expressed his condolences to the officer's family online.

Roberts' death comes close to the five-year anniversary of the suicide of another officer. Staff Sgt. Kal Ghadban took his own life at police headquarters on Sept. 28, 2014.

Need help? Here are some mental health resources:

• Association qubcoise de prvention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)
• Ottawa Suicide Prevention: 613-238-3311