Eight local RCMP officers are being honoured for their efforts to rid the local roads of drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Constables, Jordan Reid, Matthew Beckett, Cory Smith, AJ Obodzinski, Blake Manchur, Tamara Aqulini, Shawn Parker and Doug Pennington have been named to 'Alexa's Team'. These officers, from the Oceanside RCMP and Central Vancouver Island Traffic Services, each apprehended, at minimum, 12 impaired drivers in 2013, in order to be part of this dedicated group.
"I'm very proud of all these officers," said Oceanside RCMP Staff Sgt. Brian Hunter. "They are always out there trying to ensure that Oceanside's roads are a safe place to be".
The program honours the memory of Alexa Middelaer, a four-year-old girl who was struck and killed by an impaired driver in 2008. She was at a roadside in Delta with her aunt feeding a horse at the time of the accident. The officers will be formally honoured by Alexa's family and ICBC in Victoria on May 6 at one of four awards ceremonies held province-wide. — NEWS Staff/RCMP news release