OPP Officer Saved My Life

10-5 - The Official Podcast of the OPP Association

In 1991, OPP Constable Scott MacLeod answered a typical distress call, a man with a gun, threatening suicide. Just another addict going to jail was his first thought. Little did Scott know his involvement would be the beginning of a life-transforming event for Joe Roberts.

The outcome was positive both for Joe and the police officer. Joe credits PC Scott MacLeod with saving his life. Joe feels there needs to be more awareness of positive outcomes between people in mental health crisis and the police and reached out to the OPP Association to help bridge that gap in any way he can. This podcast is the beginning of that outreach to create awareness of the good that police do to defuse situations involving people in mental health crisis.

Since Joe's mental health crisis, he has since gone on to become a successful CEO and live a productive life. He is passionate about giving back to the community and raising awareness about mental health and homelessness. He was the driving force behind "The Push for Change". Joe began pushing a shopping cart across Canada to raise awareness and dollars to end youth homelessness. This national trek started May 1, 2016, from St. John’s, Newfoundland and ended September 29, 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia: a 9,064 km, 17-month journey. The shopping cart is a symbol of Joe’s transformation from youth homelessness. It represents the outcome we are trying to avoid for future generations of young people.

OPP Association Director, Rob Jamieson was among the many OPP members and members of the public who walked alongside Joe Roberts on the Push For Change. In this podcast episode Rob interviews Joe about his life changing experience with an OPP officer, when his life challenges began, who inspired him to change, and the Push for Change, an event that Joe is carrying on today with his continued awareness and outreach.

This episode of the 10-5 podcast is produced and hosted by Scott Mills and Emily Brown.

Music – “Line of Fire” by Jason Shaw available at Audionautix.com and used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

If you have any questions about this episode of the 10-5 Podcast, please email us at [e-mail]

The OPP Association is the sole bargaining agent for the close to 10,000 members of the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada. Our members are our focus and our strength. We aim to provide important information to our members and the public about matters that affect policing in the province of Ontario.