Media Release: Sue Sgambati Honoured with Catherine Martin Award of Excellence in Media Relations

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) is proud to announce that Sue Sgambati of the South Simcoe Police Service (SSPS) is the recipient of the 2022 OACP Catherine Martin Award of Excellence in Media Relations.

This award recognizes a sworn or civilian member who has demonstrated consistent dedication and professionalism in the strategic use of media and/or social media to educate and showcase the profession of policing in the community, supporting public safety, or advancing investigations in the Province of Ontario. 

Since Sue joined the SSPS in February 2018 as the service’s first civilian Corporate Communications Coordinator, she has worked tirelessly to unite the police service and its citizens on a number of issues and to boost community support and engagement through several communications initiatives, including:

• “Good Morning” Posts: Everyday Sgambati provides a snapshot of the weather, safety advice, and messaging, along with a photo of a scene from the many beautiful communities in South Simcoe and regularly posts positive messages about how fortunate citizens are to live and work in such a great community, which also serves as a recruiting tool

• “Nitro Fridays” Posts: Through K9 Nitro, citizens are educated and further understand the work South Simoce PS undertakes. K9 Nitro has become a well-loved ambassador for the service

• “Meet Our Team” Initiative: This initiative introduces members of the SSPS to the community and has become a powerful form of community engagement with followers becoming more familiar with the police service

Under Sgambati’s leadership, the police service has substantially increased its social media presence and has gone from 14,350 followers on Twitter to 22,300 in 2022; 7,418 to 16,000 on Facebook; and from 408 to 11,100 on our Instagram account, which is a testament to Sgambati’s hard work and dedication. 

Sue Sgambati has also provided media relations training to every service Supervisor and has created templates and other tools for officers to use when she is away from the office.

Sue is a one-woman show with no additional staff or support. She works tirelessly on behalf of the service’s members and the communities in South Simcoe and goes above and beyond daily.

This annual award is made possible by the generous support from McMaster University.