THUNDER BAY -- Serving as a frontline police officer has many inherent dangers.
That’s a reality officers and their loved ones confront on a daily basis and a reminder the public only receives in cases of tragedy, of which people from across Canada saw with the shooting of Moncton RCMP officers.
The number of men and women who have dedicated and sacrificed their lives to community safety is overwhelming, says Thunder Bay Police Service Chief J.P. Levesque.
“As I was preparing for today and reading it was 840 who have lost their lives in service to their communities, it was pretty staggering,” Levesque said.
“When you look at a community like Moncton it’s not that different from Thunder Bay…You think, ‘it can happen.’ We hope and pray it doesn’t.”
Across the country past and present members of police forces recognized the National Police and Peace Officers Memorial Day, which is held annually on the final Sunday of September.
About 75 local officers, who serve with city police, OPP, RCMP, Nishnawbe Aski Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources, participated in their annual march from the Ontario Court of Justice on Arthur Street to St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
They marched along with a colour guard and the police pipes and drums band, along with an escort along the roadways to the church.
Members of the public lined the sidewalks to pay their respects.
In the past year five officers lost their lives in the line of duty. RCMP Constables David Ross, Douglas Larche and Fabrice Gevaudan were gunned down in Moncton, Toronto Police Const. John Zivicic was killed in a car crash and a Saskatchewan conservation officer Justin Knackstedt was struck by a car while directing traffic at an accident scene.
With the passing of Thunder Bay Police Service Const. Joseph Prevett earlier this year during training exercises, the day had a particularly sombre meaning for those who had worked with the late canine officer.
“This year is a little bit more special and I think given the turnout we can see that,” Levesque said.
“It’s been a struggle for some people. He was taken far too young and he was taken far too early.”
The lone officer with the city force to be killed in the line of duty was Const. John Stephen Kusznier, who was shot to death in a hotel parking lot on Jan. 15, 1978.
