Mapping a career well spent

DEBBIE JACOB

WHEN I remember the late Sgt Deon Garfield Mapp, I think of all the qualities we wish a police officer to have – only in his case you had to include his dedication to an excitable dog named Skeeto.

I can’t tell you when last I wrote about Tobago, and that’s one reason I wanted to honour the memory of Sgt Mapp, a diligent, caring, quiet police canine officer, who died on September 5.

During the Easter holidays of 2016, I travelled to Tobago to interview Mapp and other Tobago canine officers for the history of the Police Service (TTPS) Canine Section.

At that time, Mapp, a corporal in the Tobago Canine Section, worked with Skeeto, an energetic springer spaniel with droopy ears and skin issues. He had been shipped to Tobago when his handler in Trinidad went on maternity leave.

“Whatever dog they send, we still work with them,” said Mapp. “I got the talk about Skeeto’s skin problems before they sent him over. I didn’t take it on. I saw it as something workable. People will say it is probably stress causing the issue.”

With that in mind, soft-spoken Mapp, who cared more about his new dog’s welfare than any stereotypic image of being a tough police officer, gave Skeeto a gentle, caring hand for him to thrive.

“I’m not too boisterous with him,” Mapp said. “After a while, we bonded.”

Mapp rubbed Skeeto down with coconut oil and took him to the beach for walks and to swim.

“I take him out as much as possible,” he said.

Police officers work a 24-hour shift with two days off in-between, but Mapp always went to work on his off days to be with his dog.

“I wanted him to be as comfortable as possible. In more than five years, I haven’t taken a single sick day. Even if I don’t feel good, I come to work to see my dog.”

This was a policy he followed until the end of his life. Even when he was visibly sick, lost much weight and limped, he went to work and never complained.

Mapp worried about Tobago’s rising crime problem, something we in Trinidad tend to brush aside in our need to view Tobago as the last remaining paradise in this country.

Crime in Tobago got worse since that interview, and Mapp felt the police dogs were the solution to the problem.

“Other police officers outside of the canine section don’t understand that bond between you and your dog so you have to get that feeling of satisfaction from inside yourself. The dog and I can cover for each other better than another officer can protect me.”

Mapp always said he would retire in canine.

“I’ve been here so long, and it’s just the dogs, the dogs, the dogs. I love the dogs. I always say, ‘If canine burns down, look for me in the ashes because I ent goin’ nowhere.’ ”

In August 2022, Mapp was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He died a month later on September 5. He was 44 years old.

Mapp’s co-worker, Cpl Caruth, said Mapp was always a quiet person who got the job done. “He loved his last dog Betty. He loved all of his dogs.”

Cpl Darren Baptiste of Tobago canine said, “Sgt Mapp was an honest and trustworthy officer, a God-fearing man who worked tirelessly, with passion and dedication. His commitment to duty was unmatched. He held one of the highest crime-detection rates on the island for the past five years.”

No one would ever be able to guess Mapp’s outstanding contribution to fighting crime in Tobago. Mapp didn’t seek recognition. He was the officer I had to pursue relentlessly for an interview, but when he finally sat down to speak, there could be no denying his love for his police dog, Tobago and this country.

Sgt Mapp reminded us that successful police work doesn’t have to be defined by a tough or callous attitude. He got the best out of his working dogs because he knew that a cool head and a soft hand can bring excellent results too.

In his eulogy, Supt Geoffrey Hospedales of the Mounted and Canine Branch described Mapp as a “stellar officer, who served with the utmost integrity.” He had transferred to the TTPS Canine Section on September 16, 2009, and was buried last Friday, September 16. Family, friends, canine officers – including Skeeto’s first handler from Trinidad – and police dogs – including Mapp’s dog Betty – came to bid the canine officer farewell.

RIP, Sgt Mapp.