A monument honouring eight fallen police officers in the Niagara region who died while on duty is now the first thing visitors to the Niagara Regional Police headquarters will see.
The memorial wall, “Heroes in life”, was unveiled in front of media and the public by chief of police, Bryan MacCulloch.
“The chosen location in the front lobby of our Headquarters is not only accessible to members of the Niagara Regional Police Service, but also accessible to all members of the public. This will ensure that the memory and ultimate sacrifice of our fallen officers will never be forgotten or fade into history”, he said.
A Northern Ireland immigrant, turned police officer in Thorold is one of the officers found on the memorial wall.
On an early, cold December morning in 1922, Joseph Trueman was patrolling the streets of Thorold alone when a known bootlegger confronted him and shot him down.
The 35-year old constable, engaged and soon to be married, did not survive the encounter.
“As a result of his strong sense of duty, Joseph Trueman ultimately and tragically made the supreme sacrifice and gave his life enforcing the rule of law to protect society from the evils of violence and crime”, NRPS said in their obituary to Trueman.
Policing is a dangerous job.
A Statistics Canada report from 2010 show that with the exception of taxi drivers, police are the most likely Canadians to be slain on the job.
The memorial wall also includes a time capsule, with various contents from the year, to be opened in 100 years, 2120.
