With 52 hours away, six different planes and a lack of sleep, we all knew this was going to be a quick but emotional trip.
Four police members had the privilege of representing the Victoria Police Union and Victoria Police Department at the service in Moncton for the three fallen RCMP members.
After flying a red-eye from Victoria to the east coast, none of us knew exactly what the next 24 hours were going to hold for us. As we got off the plane, we were met by lots of volunteers offering various police members rides to wherever they needed to go.
As we drove to the starting point for the parade, it was amazing how many billboards at businesses said: “Thank you, RCMP.” It was obvious that the community had rallied around the 200-member detachment.
As we quickly got changed and began to march to the service, hundreds of people dressed in red were crying, clapping and cheering. It was a strong show of support by the community for their police department at the time when the Codiac RCMP, and the rest of the police members, needed it the most.
After sitting through an emotion-filled four-hour service, we ended up heading back to where the parade started and we collected our bags. As we were getting ready to leave, the Zamboni driver at the local arena came running over to us and wanted to thank us for being there to support their community. After a very short conversation, he offered to stop working and drive us to our hotel. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
This was a small act of kindness by a community member who was affected by the shooting; it was heartwarming.
This incident didn’t affect just the whole policing community; it affected all of Moncton, all of New Brunswick and all of Canada.
Policing has inherent risk that we all know about when we take the oath to become police officers. Sadly, sometimes officers pay the ultimate sacrifice, and when that does happen, having the community support is very much appreciated and not taken lightly.
Const. Matt Rutherford is a member of the Victoria Police Department.
