ORILLIA O.P.P. MEDIA RELEASES

DETACHMENT COMMANDER – INSP. JIM SZARKA

(705) 326-3536   FAX: (705) 326-4126

CALL 1-888-310-1122 FOR POLICE

KEEPING YOU INFORMED

KEEPING YOU SAFE

 


 

FROM: General Headquarters                                     RELEASE: May 8, 2008

 

OPP AUXILIARY GRADUATES CONTRIBUTE TO SAFE  COMMUNITIES…..A SECURE ONTARIO

 

(Orillia, Ontario)   Tomorrow, Friday, May 9, 2008, the Ontario Provincial Police will hold a special graduation ceremony to welcome 54 new auxiliary members to its Auxiliary Program, the largest volunteer police program in Canada.  

 

The OPP Auxiliary Program started in 1960 and is in it’s 48th year.  The OPP strives to enrich its Auxiliary Program by recruiting candidates from various backgrounds in order to provide the communities it serves with a wide range of skills, and this latest class is no exception.

 

Tomorrow’s graduating class consists of 9 women and 45 men, bringing the number of OPP auxiliary officers in Ontario up to 819. 

 

The ages in this class range from 19 years to 61 years and the graduates come from all walks of life.  Among those graduating are paramedics, security officers, students, a train engineer, mechanics, nurses, school bus drivers and park wardens to name a few.

 

These volunteer officers will be divided among the OPP’s six regions, where they will provide support to regular OPP officers who require skillful assistance in emergency situations, such as crime and disaster scenes, search and rescue operations, crowd and traffic control and much more. 

 

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino will attend tomorrow’s graduation to take part in the Swearing-In ceremony and official inspection, and he will be joined by  Honourary Deputy Commissioner Richard Rohmer as a special guest.  D/Comm. Rohmer is a retired Major General, and just as he volunteered to serve his country, these auxiliaries are volunteering to serve their communities.    

 

 

 

The media are invited to attend the graduation ceremony, being held tomorrow (Friday, May 9, 2008) at 10:00 a.m. at ODAS Park, located at  4500 Fairgrounds Road, north of Highway 12, west of Orillia. 

 

Opportunities to interview participants and special guests will be available following the ceremony.

 

 

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