Volunteer police recruits honoured
By Chris Simon

Photos by Chris Simon Fifteen new volunteer recruits joined the South Simcoe Police Service Auxiliary during a ceremony at The Club at Bond Head last week.

Chris Moran's dream of becoming a police officer has just come true.

The former chair of the South Simcoe Police Service Board and 14 of his classmates graduated from the service's auxiliary training program during a ceremony at The Club at Bond Head Thursday. The volunteer auxiliary members will now perform duties for at least 12 hours per month, patrolling as secondary officers in police cars, responding to emergencies and monitoring special events throughout Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Moran has wanted to become a police officer for several years, as his way of becoming engaged in the community and showing support for residents in need.

"I was on the board for over seven years, the chair for six years, and I just found the involvement with the people and the organization very rewarding," he said, standing near a group of fellow graduates, all dressed in black police uniforms. "I got onto that because I thought it was a good way to give back to the community. I wanted to continue my association with this group of people and continue giving back to community safety."

He is also fully supported by his wife and two children, knowing Moran is performing a valuable community service.

"My primary focus is more the community events. I'm not interested in becoming a police officer," said Moran.

"I'm really looking forward to doing the community stuff, helping with kids and doing whatever I can to foster a good relationship between the police service and the community."

The graduation will help nearly double the size of the current auxiliary force. Those volunteer officers perform critical duties that lessen the burden on the main police force, said auxiliary Senior Sergeant Rick Young.

"Our community has grown by leaps and bounds over the last couple of years," he said. "Because the community has grown, there's a lot of additional community events, which is one of our largest requirements. Having a much larger auxiliary is certainly going to help the community."

The new recruits trained for 60 hours before graduation, and are expected to volunteer for at least 4,000 total hours this year, said Young.

"This will assist the police service in the community," he said. "We're called out to assist the parent force in emergencies, we're the second officer in patrol cars.

We help out at the WIng Ding, Summerfest and all the Santa Claus parades. We help broaden the visual impact of the service. It's a lot of dedication for a volunteer position."

Moran says the service has made its volunteers feel welcome.

"I appreciate the fact the police service went to this extent to recognize the people who have graduated and volunteered," he said. "We've got a tremendous group of people that put in a lot of time and effort."