Just two days after an in the line of duty, a memorial to two fallen Chilliwack RCMP officers was unveiled in front of the Airport Road detachment.
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It was Christmas Day in 1997 when Const. Gerald Fortis of the Sumas RCMP Highway Patrol succumbed to injuries received during an icy crash on Highway 1.
Five years later on Dec. 22, 2002, Const. Vernon Genaille of the Agassiz RCMP detachment suffered a fatal heart attack during an arrest of scrap metal thieves in Popkum.
Fortis and Genaille are now memorialized in both a bronze commemorative display in front of the Chilliwack RCMP detachment, but also on a wall of honour inside the building.
鈥淭his is a tribute that will give our citizens a place to pay their respects,鈥� Chilliwack RCMP Supt. Deanne Burleigh said at the ceremony attended by dozens of Mounties, along with dignitaries, as well as family members of the deceased officers.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Harrison Hot Springs Mayor Leo Facio, District of Kent Mayor John Van Laerhoven, and Chilliwack Coun. Jason Lum on behalf of the mayor and city council.
鈥淭his dedication monument will ensure that we never forget the sacrifices that we ask our men and women who work as police officers to perform for us on a daily basis,鈥� Lum said. 鈥淭his monument will ensure that mayor and council never forget the service and sacrifice that we ask all of our police officers to perform for us on a daily basis.鈥�
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A number of local businesses helped fund the monument, but $2,500 in funding was also received from provincial civil forfeiture proceeds.
鈥淢emorials that show respect for professionals who put public safety ahead of their own, especially those who鈥檝e paid the ultimate price for their selflessness, serve as important reminders of how police officers are fundamental to the safety and quality of life we enjoy in B.C.,鈥� said Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth in a press release.
The memorial in Chilliwack comes 40 years after Ottawa rookie constable David Kirkwood was murdered in the line of duty on July 11, 1977. That killing prompted a special service and tribute, which led to the Canadian Police and Peace Officers鈥� Memorial Service.
On Sept. 24, 1998, the the last Sunday of September every year as Police and Peace Officers鈥� National Memorial Day.
鈥淲e remember our fallen officers every day,鈥� Burleigh said Wednesday.
Back in 1978, the first memorial honoured 14 officers. By this year, the names of more than 860 fallen officers are engraved in Honour Roll tablets.
paul.henderson@theprogress.com
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