HALIFAX — Side by side, hundreds of peace officers from around Nova Scotia marched from the Halifax Regional Police headquarters on Gottingen Street to Halifax’s Grand Parade.
There, the officers gathered at the Fallen Peace Officers’ Monument, taking time to remember and reflect those whose lives were lost in the line of duty at the annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service.
“We are right to pause and to recall all those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Brigadier-General J.J. Grant, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. “And to also remember their families and those who remain.”
The service was also an opportunity for everyone to give thanks to those who continue to serve.
“Success in your line of work means something very different than that of many other professions,” said Diana Whalen, NS Minister of Justice. “Your success means you have protected someone so they can return home safely to their families.”
“It’s almost a year since the shooting on parliament hill, that shocked us all and reminded us again, that peace and freedom comes at a great price,” added Halifax Mayor Mike Savage.
One by one, the names of the 23 men engraved on the monument in Grand Parade were read aloud, and wreaths were placed at the memorial by the heads of various police agencies in the province.
Tammy Burkholder had the chance to lay a wreath in honour of her father, Sergeant Derek C. Burkholder.
“I got an opportunity to lay the wreath because my father was killed in the line of duty in 1996,” she told Global News. “I actually work for the RCMP right now as well, so they actually asked me to lay a wreath on behalf of all families of the fallen officers.”
Sgt. Burkholder’s five year old grandson also sat through the ceremony and laid a bouquet of flowers in honour of his grandfather.
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