They may be gone, but the legacy of their sacrifices lives on.
About 40 officers from South Simcoe Police Service, as well as from Barrie, York Region and even as far away as Sudbury participated in the local service’s second annual Run to Remember in Bradford on Wednesday afternoon.
The run honours local officers killed in the line of duty, including Const. Morgan Russell and Const. Devon Northrup who died on Oct. 11, 2022, while responding to a disturbance call, as well as Const. Alan Kuzmich who died on Aug. 21, 2002, while responding to a motorcycle theft.
That opportunity for members of both the service and the community to remember the officers was particularly important to Chief John Van Dyke.
“It’s also part of the healing process, especially recently with the deaths of Morgan and Devon, that we continue to remember while we continue to heal,” he said.
Local Det.-Const. Dan Raymond led this year’s local run, which began at the South Division building around 4 p.m. before making a loop of about 4.4 kilometres, stopping for moments of silence at Constable Devon Northrup Memorial Park and Alan Kuzmich Memorial Park before returning to the station.
“It means a lot,” he said of the event. “For us, it’s all about Devon’s legacy.”
Raymond explained that Northrup “championed” the Canadian National Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Run to Remember for years, and starting last year, the service decided to host something locally to help everyone get involved, even if they can’t make the trip to Ottawa.
Marking its 20th year, the national event covers 460 km starting in Toronto on Thursday and ending in Ottawa on Saturday. Raymond has been participating for the last five years, and is now filling Northrup’s shoes as team captain.
“It’s an honour,” he said. “Devon did a great job of running it every single year. To fill in for him — though we’d rather not — it is nice taking up that mantle.”
Raymond said he has plenty of good memories running with Northrup when he led the team, “grinding through a ton of paces” covering almost 100 km together.
“Being there for each other and lifting each other up when things get tough or somebody feels tired. You always have that support to lean on each other. That’s huge,” he said.
One police cruiser led the local run while another followed to ensure everyone remained safe, and refreshments were available at the parks, where some members of council joined the moments of silence.
Each time, Raymond read the tribute to Northrup featured on the park sign: “He protected with courage, he served with compassion; he saved lives.”
Five local officers were also set to participate in the Canadian National Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Ride to Remember, which started Wednesday morning at the Ontario Police College in Aylmer and sees officers cycling 700 km to the Ontario Police Memorial in Toronto.
A group of local members are expected to participate in the Canadian National Police and Peace Officers’ 46th Annual Memorial Service in Ottawa on Sept. 29, where Northrup, Russell and Kuzmich are set to be honoured as their names are read from the National Honour Roll of Fallen Officers.
