Constable Sue Solman was recognized not only for how well she serves the public, but also how much she does for her own.
Solman, who has been an officer for more than 23 years with the North Bay Police Service, was awarded a Heroes Beyond the Badge Award from the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
The Heroes Beyond the Badge Program honours an individual or team in a police service whose contributions to policing excellence deserves to be known and appreciated. Individuals and/or teams are recognized for the things beyond “operational” duties that police officers and personnel do to support their colleagues and communities.
"It became very clear to us that this is a very special officer, an officer who has done a lot for internal wellness here and also has dedicated her life to this police service," said Joe Couto, director of government relations and communications for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
"We want people like that to feel appreciated. We want them to feel like they matter, that their award matters."
Besides her more than two decades of experience as a police officer, Solman admits her knowledge about the life of a police officer came long before she applied to the North Bay Police Service.
That's because her father, Harley Solman, was a decorated sergeant with the North Bay Police Service.
"So my dad was retired as a sergeant here, and I did have the opportunity to watch him love his job," said Solman, who is on the Mobile Crisis Unit.
"I also had the opportunity to watch what the job did to him, and I think that kind of set the tone for my mindset coming into policing what's important and prioritize. And obviously that's going to be myself. If I'm not healthy, I can't come to work healthy, so right off the hop, I took that very seriously."
Daryl Longworth, North Bay's police chief, has only been on the job for less than a year. However, it didn't take him long to recognize how valuable Constable Solman is to the service.
"Sue stands out because of her compassion," said Longworth.
"I mean the smile that you saw in her face today, that's constable Solomon every single day that she represents, and she brings that to the community and the vulnerable people she works with every day, but she brings that to her peers, is supporting listening here when you've had a bad day, she's a sounding board."
While Solman is humble about receiving the award, she admits it means a lot to be recognized.
"A lot of people finish their career giving their everything, their whole entire life, to this job, and leave feeling not getting that feedback and and I think it is really important to recognize and in today's day and age where things are so chaotic and there's so many unknowns, at least you can go home knowing that you've done a really really good job and it just provides a lot of validation, I think," she said.
