Canadians across the country are being encouraged to wear red today (Jan. 26) in honour of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The RCMP is mourning the loss of Cst. David Matthew Wynn, who succumbed to his injuries last week after being shot in the line of duty.
Wynn’s funeral is set to take place in St. Albert, Alberta later today.
In the wake of the tragic news and the launch of a “wear red“ campaign, the Sydenham Current caught up with a former Wallaceburg resident, WDSS graduate and current member of the RCMP.
Josh Pollock started training with the RCMP at the end of November of 2008 and graduated from the RCMP training Academy at Depot in Regina in May of 2009.
From there, Pollock started his first post both living and working on the First Nation Reserve of Waywayseecappo in Manitoba.
“At that detachment, I spent four and a half years there, getting married and starting a family with now two children,” he said. “It was a great experience and opened my eyes to the sometimes hectic life of policing. I am now posted at the Swan River Detachment, still in Manitoba. I have been here for just over one year.”
Pollock said whenever another RCMP officer is killed in the line of duty, there is a ripple effect across the whole organization.
“I feel like one of the guys at my detachment has passed,” he said. “In the RCMP you can potentially be transferred to any detachment throughout the country and I may very well work with that member at some point in my career. In this regard it strikes very close to home. You think of the member’s family and how they are doing. They have just lost a loved one in a very tragic way and in some instances by the hand of a person that did not have the sense to realize that they were a person too, with a family at home with children and a spouse waiting for their safe return.”
Pollock added: “I start to play scenarios in my mind thinking, what if it was me that was there? What would I do and how would it turn out? Would I be able to react quickly enough? Or what if the end result was worse? These play out in my head on a constant basis during these times.”
When these incidents occur, Pollock said RCMP members stay close.
“Our detachment becomes very close together, talking about how we all feel about it,” he said. “We are mindful that this incident may affect some members very differently and try to help each other out in any way that we can.”
Pollock said the recent tragic incidents have “the most effect” on their loved ones at home.
“It strikes very hard knowing that anything can happen during the course of one shift on duty,” he said.
“The spouses begin to worry at home wondering what is going on with the spouse in uniform. Are they okay? I should call or text them to see where they are or what are they doing? When I return home I see the sigh of relief on my wife’s face when I walk through the door and see that she is relieved to see I am OK. That I made it safely home and greet my kids at the door screaming ‘Daddy’s home.’ This is the part that hits the hardest for me.”
Pollock said a sense of unity is felt with all emergency service personnel when tragedy strikes.
“All too often one of my fellow emergency services workers falls victim to our careers in very terrible ways,” he said. “Sometimes they are accidents or recently by the hand of a person that wishes simply to instill fear in us. It does hit hard to see that we lost yet another one to the battle. That one of the good ones had to be taken in a very malicious way.”
Pollock added: “In this line of work we enter situations that very few people see in regular life. We see the worst of the worst and know how hard that person had it in that situation. We know that they tried their best in that situation to have a safe resolution, but they fell victim to an emotionally disturbed person. All we can do is applaud their effort and assist in any way we can to help their families, friends and colleagues get through that difficult time.”
Pollock said the “wear red” event, which was launched to encourage people across Canada to wear red clothing today in support of the RCMP, makes him feel proud to do his job.
“It means that even though terrible things may happen in the line of duty, we can still come together and recognize that we are stronger together and can move forward remembering the incidents that have come to pass,” he said.
For more information about the “wear red” event, join their Facebook event page by clicking here.
Josh Pollock’s remarks are right on and clearly portray the personal side of policing at all levels. He is on the front lines serving our country and like all in police and armed services, are worthy of our encouragement and prayer support, including family.