Five Sidney North Saanich RCMP officers are now a part of Alexa’s Team.
In May 2008, four year-old Alexa Middelaer was killed after being hit by a drunk driver. Since then, her parents Laura and Michael Middelaer kept her memory alive by doing all that they can to spare other families from experiencing the same anguish.
One way is to recognize individuals that make an extraordinary contribution in the fight against impaired driving. An officer can make the team if he or she has taken more than 12 impaired drivers off the road via criminal charges or using immediate roadside prohibition legislation.
At Sidney North Saanich Cst. Kent Nelson, Cst. Kyle Martell, Cst. Anton Ermolaev, Cst. Brad Lougheed and Cst. Robert Figuerido met that criteria.
They attended a ceremony on April 26 in Oak Bay with other Vancouver Island officers to have their efforts recognized by the Alexa Middelaer Foundation.
“We applaud our officers and all other officers that were recognized for their efforts in keeping our streets and communities safe,” said media liaison Cpl. Chris Swain. “Impaired driving is a policing priority in our communities. We will make every attempt to keep get as impaired drivers off the road as possible, hopefully preventing tragedies similar to the Middelaer’s, from happening.”
Fast fact: Five officers equals 25 per cent of the uniform strength at Sidney North Saanich RCMP detachment.
