Canadian Police and Peace Officers Annual Memorial Service

Today marked the 34th annual Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial Service on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. This ceremony honours police and peace officers throughout Canada who dedicate themselves to the protection of Canadians, and it remembers those who have given their lives to keep our communities safe.

There are almost 700 officers on the Honour Roll, and this year those who gathered paid tribute to four officers who lost their lives this past year: Cst. Sébastien Coghlan-Goyette of the Sûreté du Quebec, Cst. Michael B. Potvin of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sgt. Ryan J. Russell of the Toronto Police and Cst. Garrett Styles of the York Regional Police.

Read more at the CPOMA website: http://cpoma.ca/memorial_Service.html.

Canada Customs (now CBSA) has always been a proud participant in this event, and if you visit the Organizations page at the CPOMA website you'll see a great selection of Customs patches from over the years, including the one above which my wife, Lynn Clark, proudly wore as a customs inspector, superintendent and technical trainer for many years.

Our thoughts go out to the families of the four officers recognized this year and to everyone who participated.