Much Deserved Recognition

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
October 14, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/1/post/2015/10/much-deserved-recognition.html

On Monday, the Pioneer Press announced the 2015 winner of the Rowan Award, which is bestowed yearly by the Saint Paul Police Foundation in recognition of exceptional service in policing. The winner, Officer Jon Sherwood, is a twenty-nine year veteran assigned to the city's East Side. What caught my eye, however, was the report of who was also nominated: Sergeant Eric Skog who, as the Pioneer Press notes, 'who was assigned full-time to investigate sex abuse within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis'.

I am sure that those victims who reported their abuse to Sgt. Skog would willingly second his nomination for this award. When a victim contacted me to share his or her experience of abuse I never hesitated to suggest that they contact Sgt. Skog, and I heard time and time again of his patience and kindness once contact was established. More than one person reported that he was willing to listen to them and offer suggestions even if their abuse was outside of the SPPD jurisdiction or couldn't be investigated for other reasons. This was important to many victims/ survivors because that openness was exactly what had been missing when they attempted to report their abuse to the Church.