- April 18, 2024
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Community Service Officer Shannon Champion and Officer Robert Pearson pose with a memorial plaque for Royden Pearson. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Community Service Officer Shannon Champion and Officer Robert Pearson share a hug after the dedication ceremony. Courtesy photo
Officer Robert Pearson hangs his father's memorial plaque on the wall. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Officer Robert Pearson said he was glad his father's legacy was being recognized. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Almost 15 years after the death of Ormond Beach Police Evidence Custodian Royden Pearson, officers gathered in the department's training room on Wednesday, Jan. 27, to honor the legacy left behind by his 25 years of civilian service to the force.
Pearson, who began working at OBPD in 1981, died on April 19, 2006. He was a 20-year Navy veteran who served as a medic during the Vietnam War, and his actions earned him the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and a combat action ribbon. Once employed with the city, he began his career patrolling the beach and later became a community service officer before he took on the role of evidence custodian.
A memorial plaque, unveiled at the ceremony, now adorns a wall near the officer entrance to the police department.
Why did the department choose to recognize him now? Police Chief Jesse Godfrey said it was never too late to do the right thing.
“When we post this plaque at the end of the hallway, it’s down there to honor him, but it’s in a public place for our officers to see it every day when they walk in so they’ll never forget him," Godfrey said.
Pearson's son, Officer Robert Pearson, walks those very halls every time he works a shift. He thanked those who attended the ceremony, and said that he was glad this recognition came to fruition, giving special thanks to Community Service Officer Shannon Champion for her help. He always believed his dad should've been recognized a long time ago, he said, and it had eaten away at him over the years.
“My dad was a great man. I know some of y’all knew him, and some of you didn’t, but if you looked up the definition of a man who …would give the shirt off [his] back, that was my dad," he said.
Godfrey assured those in the room that something like this would never happen again, as long as he was chief and the younger officers in the room were still in the department. Programs are in the works to be implemented to prevent tragedies like Pearson's, he said.
“One of the things we don’t like to talk about is police suicide, or first responder suicide," Godfrey said. "And he was a member of our family…We have to do better as first responders to be able to number one, talk about it.”
A member of the former Ormond Beach Union Church, many of the officers who spoke during the ceremony shared heartfelt memories of their time with Pearson.
One was Capt. D.W. Smith, who said Pearson was one of his first bosses when he was hired 25 years ago. He said Pearson turned a "Gen X whippersnapper" like him into the disciplined officer he is today. Then, directing his comments to Officer Robert Pearson, Smith said he saw the same attention to detail, dedication to service and willingness to go above and beyond as Roy Pearson had.
“That was always your dad’s spirit and he lives on through you," Smith said. "I’m proud to have worked with your dad, and I’m very proud to work with you.”
Sgt. Michelle Willis said moving forward, they don't want anything tragic like Pearson's passing to occur within their department. She spoke of resources available to officers regarding wellness, both financial, physical and mental health-related, and encouraged officers to reach out for help when it is needed.
“We see tragedy, and we see all the things that we know that we have to handle, and we handle them each in a different way, but there may come a time where that heaviness is too much," Willis said.
When she began her career with OBPD, Willis said Pearson was already working in evidence. She also held fond memories.
“I can tell you that there was not a day, or an interaction that you ever went with Roy that he didn’t make you smile," Willis said. "I don’t think 'just smile' does it justice — I’m talking belly laugh. I can see his smile. That’s what resonates in my memory from him.”
