The devastated family of Calgary police Sgt. Andrew Harnett says he was a passionate man who had always wanted to be a police officer.
Sgt. Harnett was killed after being struck and dragged by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop on New Year’s Eve.
“I’d just like the people of Calgary to know they lost the finest officer, the most dedicated and passionate guy, someone who loved policing, someone who loved his family. He loved life,” Jason Harnett, Sgt. Harnett’s older brother, said Friday evening.
“He had an amazing sense of humour, he was dedicated and passionate about getting into policing right from the get-go,” Jason said. “He knew what he wanted to be. Whenever profession came up, that’s what he wanted to do. And he found his way there.
“His family loved him, we’re going to dearly miss him.”
Jason said Sgt. Harnett, who was 37, grew up in the town of Hagersville, Ont., but had embraced life in Calgary where he had been an officer for 12 years. He lived with his partner of more than five years lived in the nearby town of Strathmore, about 40 minutes east of Calgary.
“He really loved it out there,” Jason said. “He loved the rodeo… he loved wearing the cowboy fatigue. He was in the police rodeo. He was involved with the Legion.”
Jason said that Andrew was close to his family — the youngest of three brothers — and while his mother lives in Ontario, he was able to visit in the fall along with his partner Chelsea.
“We were his anchor,” Jason said, who also lives in Ontario. “We were really really fortunate to have him and Chelsea visit Ontario in September. They were able to get COVID tests and come here, and it was Andrew’s first visit in three years since the passing of our dad.”
His other brother Chris lives in Halifax, Jason said.
Jason said he believed Sgt. Harnett was drawn to police work because of the family’s history in the military — his other brother Chris and his grandfather both served.
“He was so proactive. He was the type of police officer you’d want on the streets. Not waiting for crime, but looking for it, trying to prevent it.
“He was connected to many of the officers not only on a professional level but a personal level.”
Jason added that Sgt. Harnett had also gotten to know Chief Mark Neufeld, who had planned to go on a ride-along with the sergeant because of his knowledge of the area he policed.
“Andrew was really passionate about the division, the area he policed in,” Jason said. “He was in the thick of it, and he really liked that, and he was really close to all of his officers.”
His family said that the tragic start to the new year has been incredibly hard to get through, but the support of Calgary and other Canadians has taken some of the load off.
“Thank you to everybody that’s reached out, through phone or social media or email,” Jason said. “Complete strangers are sharing so many really nice messages about my brother and his service.”
Jason added the family is going to look at ways they can get to Calgary to support Andrew’s spouse, friends, and colleagues, and then will likely hold a bigger celebration of life once larger gatherings are permitted.
“Andrew loved that city and people are going to miss a really good dedicated officer,” Jason said.
The two teenagers involved in the death of Sgt. Harnett both turned themselves in on Friday night. They both face charges of first-degree murder.