Commissioner, Chief and Senator Visit Recovering Officer
Submitted by Newsline 340 on June 25, 2012
Police Commissioner Henry W. White Jr., St. Thomas Chief of Police Darren Foy and Senator Carlton Dowe recently visited injured officer Colvin Georges who is receiving medical treatment in Florida for the injuries he sustained after being shot while approaching a suspect at the Contant Car Wash on Saturday, May 26. Another officer, Aaron Hodge, was also injured in the shooting, but was treated and released from the Schneider Regional Medical Center a few days after the incident. Police returned fire and the suspect, Gerald Jackson, was shot and killed.
“These officers are heroes, they performed their duty bravely, and this department will support them with all available resources.” Commissioner White said recently. White travelled to Florida to visit Georges earlier this month. Commissioner White said Georges’ family is very concerned with the mounting medical bills and other issues related to his recovery. The commissioner has assigned the VIPD Human Resources Director assisted by the VIPD Victim Witness Advocate to be the family’s liaison and assist them in navigating the various government agencies and divisions.
“Officer Georges was critically injured in this unexpected tragedy,” Commissioner White said. “He will require extensive and long term rehabilitation.”
“I have ordered the formation of a crisis intervention team that will be activated immediately when a similar situation occurs,” Commissioner White said. “Additionally, I have engaged the services of the VI 100 Club, a St. Thomas/St. John based community organization which collects charitable community donations to aid police officers injured or killed in the line of duty. The fund is administered by the Virgin Islands Community Foundation.”
A week after the Police Commissioner’s visit to Officer Georges, St. Thomas/St. John Police Chief Darren Foy and Senator Carlton Dowe visited Georges, bringing him well wishes from his colleagues.
“I wanted to assure Officer Georges that his fellow officers and the civilian staff in the entire territory are supporting him and praying for him,” Chief Foy said. The chief brought several greeting cards to Georges that were signed by police and civilians on all three islands.
“It was very uplifting for him,” Foy said. “I read him all the cards and the personal notes written on them from the officers and civilians. He was very attentive. I could see he was pleased.”
“Since Officer George is recovering so far away from home and the people that he knows, it’s important that he has contact with his family, friends and coworkers because a good attitude goes a long way in a person’s recovery process, Chief Foy said.