Gilbert's Sgt. Ric Borom Calmed a Family in Crisis. Arizona's Muslim Police Advisory Board Honored Him for It.

On a January call in Gilbert, a family was in crisis over their autistic teenage son. According to the Gilbert Police Department, Sgt. Ric Borom made sure everyone was safe, brought the temperature down, and then did the part that never shows up in a report: he sat and talked with the young man.

The family later told the department that conversation led to a real, lasting change in their son. They called the sergeant "an angel."

On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Arizona Muslim Police Advisory Board (AZMPAB) gave Borom its Outstanding Service Award at its 18th Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner at the Phoenix Airport Hilton. The board's newsletter lists the Arizona Department of Public Safety as host of the evening.

The board chose Borom "for his professionalism and effective application of behavioral health training," said Chairman Mohamed El-Sharkawy, "as well as to highlight behavioral health issues and law enforcement engagement."

That second half matters. Calls involving autistic young people are some of the hardest a patrol officer gets: a kid who may not respond to commands the way a training scenario expects, and parents frightened for their child. When those calls go well, nobody films them. The board went looking for one that went well and put it on a stage.

AZMPAB was founded in 2002 with help from the Phoenix Police Department, originally as the Phoenix Police Advisory Board. A few years later it expanded across the Valley and took its current name. The banner behind this year's stage read "Celebrating Over 20 Years of Partnership."

The work runs all year: quarterly meetings between law enforcement agencies and Muslim community leaders, outreach around Eid, conversations about mosque safety during Ramadan, and a push to get Muslim young people thinking about careers in public service. In the board's own words, it works "to strengthen relationships between Arizona's Muslim community and law enforcement" through "dialogue, outreach, education, and collaboration."

This year the board also gave its Outstanding Service and Leadership Award to two members of the Muslim community.

A Muslim community board, honoring a police sergeant, for being patient with a family's teenage son. Nobody had to do that. They have done some version of it for 18 years running.

Departments spend heavily on de-escalation and behavioral health training, and the proof that it works is a call that ends quietly. Sgt. Borom's call is the proof. Congratulations, Sergeant, and thank you to the board for noticing.

This story first appeared in The Arizona Inquirer. It is built from the Gilbert Police Department's public post on the award, the AZ Muslim Police Advisory Board's written answers to our questions, and the board's newsletter from the Oct. 17 dinner. Photos are courtesy of the AZ Muslim Police Advisory Board. The department did not name the family, and we did not contact them. Know an officer, deputy or first responder whose work deserves a story? [email protected].