Late cop hailed as hard-working professional

Former colleagues of Corporal Courtney Cassell, who was buried last Saturday, are hailing him as hard-working and professional, among other accolades.

Cassell, 49, who died a week before Christmas, was stationed at the Ocho Rios Police Station in St Ann for the last two years.

"He is sadly missed. He was a gentleman and a very hard-working co-worker," Detective Sergeant Devon Murdoch said. "He was a father figure to the younger police officers. He was well disciplined and he respected everyone. I worked a couple of times with him doing patrol and general duty and found him to be very professional."

Murdoch said Cassell was one of the persons who created an impression on him when he just moved to Ocho Rios, and one of his admirable qualities was that he was always giving advice.

"All in all, he was a very professional person, very respectful ... and we miss him a lot," Murdoch said.

Posters on the glass door at the police station still pay homage to Cassell, acknowledging that the corporal had indeed 'gone too soon'.

Former commander for the parish, Superintendent Carlos Russell, said while Cassell's death would have dampened the morale of his co-workers, their performance has remained up to speed.

"When you have a member who has died, persons are going to be sad and going to be empathetic, but members are still motivated in their work; they're still doing their work. The team was saddened by his passing, but we are soldering on," Russell, who was reassigned to Trelawny on January 25, told THE STAR.