Ottawa police community outreach officer to lead response to Abdi inquest

File photo of Abdirahman Abdi.

The Ottawa Police Service has named a neighbourhood resource team officer to lead the effort to respond to the recommendations made by the inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi.

In December, the jury at a mandatory coroner’s inquest ruled Abdi’s 2016 death a homicide. While the ruling is non-binding, the jury made 57 recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths, including 25 to the Ottawa Police Service itself.

The primary recommendation to the Ottawa Police Service is to establish a mental health advisory council tasked with providing recommendations relating to interactions with members of the public with mental health issues and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis.

Police Chief Eric Stubbs said some of the recommendations are complex and will require a “great deal of consultation and thought” in order to complete.

“Since 2016, we have made a great deal of progress, but it is clear there is much more work to do,” he told Monday’s Police Service Board Meeting.

Stubbs named Staff Sgt. Devon Archer to lead the project that would address those recommendations.

“He is a dedicated, compassionate officer with years of experience in patrol, project work, and community engagement as a neighbourhood officer,” said Stubbs. “Staff Sgt. Archer has a proven track record of building strong relationships and creating impactful programs for vulnerable youth and marginalized communities. His leadership and passion make him the perfect choice to drive this vital work forward.”

Stubbs said Archer’s work would begin next week. The Ottawa Police Service Board is to receive a report in April on progress he has made.

In a media availability prior to Monday’s board meeting, Stubbs told reporters that some of the recommendations could be completed this year, while others will take longer to implement.

“We can’t do all of the recommendations all at the same time. We want to be very thoughtful on where we have to apply our energy on the priority ones to try to deliver them as quick as we can but also as meaningful as we can,” he said. “We want to make sure that we do them right. We don’t want to get this wrong.”

Abdi, 38, died in hospital a day after a violent arrest at the hands of Ottawa police on July 24, 2016. Abdi’s family settled a civil lawsuit with Ottawa police in 2020, with an agreement that the OPS would implement a mental-health response strategy.

Stubbs told the Ottawa Police Service Board it will take some time to get a mental health advisory council up and running.

“Certainly, I think, in April, we can have a very good start, in terms of where we’re going to go with a number of these recommendations and I think it’s important for us to inform the board in a couple of months where we’re at,” he said.