Wayne Gallant, chief of the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force, receives a certificate from Leanne Fitch, chief of the Fredericton Police Force, during a ceremony on May 7, 2019. (Brad Perry/Wave News)
Two dozen Kennebecasis regional police officers and civilian staff have been recognized for the roles they played after the Fredericton shooting last August.
Fredericton police Chief Leanne Fitch gave each of them a certificate during a ceremony at Quispamsis Town Hall on Tuesday.
The ceremony was held just shy of the nine-month anniversary of the August 10 shooting which claimed the lives of four people, including two Fredericton police officers.
Wayne Gallant, chief of the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force, said he is grateful Fitch took time to recognize the officers for stepping up to help.
“You go from absolute devastation to wanting to do everything you possibly can to help out,” said Gallant about the day of the shooting.
“I called [Chief Fitch] very early on to see what her needs were and we started a plan to backfill the Fredericton Police Force and take care of the city of Fredericton for a period of time so that they could have time to mourn.”
Several members of @KRPFTraffic are here at #Quispamsis town hall to be honoured by @CityFredPolice Chief Leanne Fitch for the roles they played in the days after last August’s shooting. pic.twitter.com/Bczh1d4YaD
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) May 7, 2019
Fitch ordered all of her members to take a week off after the shooting so they could have time to grieve with family.
During Tuesday’s ceremony, Fitch told the officers they needed to know how much their actions and thoughtfulness meant to her entire city.
Even though nearly nine months has passed since the shooting, Fitch said in some ways, it still feels like it happened yesterday.
Gallant said events like the shooting bring home the meaning of the job for officers across the province.
“When there’s shots fired or there’s an explosion that goes off and people are running away from that, the police, the fire department, first responders are running towards it,” he said. “It just makes the job all the more real and the reality of it.”
Quispamsis Mayor Gary Clark said even though the Kennebecasis Valley has been named the safest place in Canada, the men and women of the force put themselves in harm’s way every day.
Fitch says it’s not her intention to focus on the sadness of that August day but to acknowledge the goodness of others who helped the city and police force through their losses. pic.twitter.com/YB8AmP3bVh
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) May 7, 2019
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