Police officers across the country honoured the four fallen police officers during the 20th annual Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial day parade Sunday.
More than a hundred officers marched down Arthur Street as part of the annual parade. The parade winded its way to Saint Paul's Anglican Church to take part in a memorial service. The services gave special tributes to the four offices that died in the past year.
Toronto Police Service Sgt. Ryan Russell died in January when a stolen snowplough struck him. Regional Police Const. Garrett Styles died in June after a minivan dragged him.
Const. Sébastien Coghlan-Goyette of the Sûreté du Québec died in November 2010 when his patrol struck a deer and RCMP Const. Michael Potvin drowned in July when the boat he was on capsized.
Thunder Bay Police Service Chief J.P. Levesque said it’s an important day for law enforcement officers because it gives them a chance to recognize those they have lost.
Thunder Bay has had only one death on the force. Const. John Kusznier was shot and killed in the line of duty outside of the Landmark Inn on Jan. 15, 1978.
Despite some close calls, Levesque said it is fortunate that no other officers in Thunder Bay has been killed in the line of duty.
“I know his family is always at this event and it means a lot to them and our offices,” Levesque said. “I think it helps bring that mindset back that when you jump into a cruiser and you do your job if you want to go home you have to keep your wits about you. Stay smart and remember your officer safety tactics all the time.”
Last year the police service rerouted the parade to Wesley United Church because of conflicting schedules. This year they returned to the familiar Saint Paul's Anglican Church.
Levesque said it was great to be back at the church and that the service would be led by Rev. Deborah Kraft.
Rev. Michael Dunnill, the Thunder Bay Police Service chaplain who led the service, passed away last year. Levesque said they have not yet found a suitable replacement for Dunnill.
“It’s one of the things on my list to do,” he said. “As a matter of fact I’m going to be speaking to one individual who has shown some interest in it. I hope to announce it in the near future.”
Sgt. Ron Maki has helped with the parade almost every year since he joined the force 18 years ago. He took charge of the honour guard at the parade and made sure they were ready to lead the parade.
He said it was important to remember the officers that have died in the line of duty. Fortunately, there has only been one death on the force but that doesn’t mean police officers haven’t come close, he said.
Const. Craig Town was shot in the line of duty about two decades ago. The incident left him paralyzed.
Maki said those are the reasons why they were marching.
“When I first joined the police force because I just got out of the naval reserves,” Maki said. “I served my country and I wanted to do something a little bit more local. Now I serve my community. The chances are that one day that I might be on the receiving end of something that is obviously quite unpleasant. But those are the chances every single officer here takes.”
