Dear Editor,
I would like to talk about cops. These are the people who slow you down when you are late for work. They write you a ticket when you “just need to make one quick important call on your cell.” They are the “bogeymen” you threaten your kid with when he misbehaves.
The typical police officer has a university education and is ambitious. Police officers work very hard to get where they are. They would likely do much better financially if they took a civilian job, yet they elected to serve the community. They work when we sleep; they spend special family moments in a police car that smells like vomit from a drunk driver arrested last night, instead of being with their family.
The RCMP is one of the most respected police agencies in the world. Mounties are among the lowest paid police in Canada, yet they work and try to raise their families in Richmond, one of the most expensive areas in Canada. They always answer the call; they are called when folks don’t know who else to call. They see the things we do not want to see, and they do the things we do not want to do. And they pay the price. Police divorce and mental wellness issues are too common. One needs only to look at the gun they must carry to remember that they have sworn to protect us, at any cost. That gun and the officer wearing it are the only thing that keeps evil from our door. Their lives are always at risk. There are many people who would kill that officer only because they took that oath to protect us. You can call them “cop” or “pig” or a host of other names, but they will still rush to your side when you call them for help.
Two RCMP officers and one municipal police officer have given their lives in Richmond to keep it the safe community that it is today.
Saturday, Sept. 25 is Peace Officer Memorial Day. A service will be held at Brockton Oval in Stanley Park. The public is welcome. Next time you see that cop grabbing a coffee at Tim’s, just nod and say “hi.” It will mean a lot.
Scott Stewart
Richmond
