The Toronto Police Service says that all cops, including those who die by suicide, will soon be eligible for inclusion on the memorial wall honouring fallen officers, provided that they meet “specific criteria.”
The change is part of a settlement reached with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
The issue dates back to a claim made by the family of Sgt. Eddie Adamson.
Adamson took his own life in 2005, about 25 years after a fellow officer was shot and killed during a botched hostage taking and robbery attempt at a Queen Street West restaurant.
About four years after Adamson’s suicide, the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board ruled that his death resulted from post-traumatic stress disorder and classified it as an “on-duty” death.
Adamson was not eligible for inclusion on the memorial wall, though, as that honour was reserved for officers who die as a result of physical injuries sustained on the job.
“Today’s agreement creates an opportunity for the service to respectfully recognize those who have died, regardless of cause of death, by appropriately commemorating those who, through their actions, demonstrated the noble qualities of policing and inspired those who continue to serve,” The Toronto Police Service said in a press release.
The TPS says that it will finalize “a process and the specific criteria under which applications will be considered” for the memorial wall by October.
That procedure will allow the name of an officer who has died because of mental-health injuries, including names of those who have already passed away, to be considered for inclusion, the TPS says.
The Ontario Police Memorial is located at Queen’s Park and includes the names of 40 Toronto police officers who have died as a result of on-duty injuries.
