Ten Delta police officers were recognized Tuesday morning at the Justice Institute in New Westminster for their efforts in taking impaired drivers off the road.
They join more than 2,000 RCMP and municipal police officers from across the province who are now a part of Alexa’s Team named for Alexa Middelaer, who at the age of four was killed by an impaired driver in 2008 while feeding a horse with her aunt in East Ladner.
This May marks the 10th anniversary of her tragic passing.
The Delta police officers named to Alexa’s Team this year removed 210 impaired drivers from Delta roads in 2017, said Supt. Harj Sidhu, who is in charge of front-line policing in Delta.
“Those are 210 drivers who were at significant risk of being in a crash, and injuring or even killing themselves and other innocent people,” Sidhu said.
Const. Taylor Armstrong led the local contingent by taking 38 impaired drivers off the road.
Other DPD officers recognized include: Const. Grayson Smith, Const. Josh Lehbauer, Const. Jim Ingram, Const. Emily Wawruck, Supt. Harj Sidhu, Const. Harprit Hair, Const. Jeremy Pearce, Const. Gordy Gill, Const. Sarb Singh and Const. Mathew Taylor.
Laurel and Michael Middelaer, Alexa’s parents, have worked tirelessly to bring awareness to, and incite change around, impaired driving laws since their daughter’s death. They have spearheaded changes that have resulted in stiffer penalties in an effort to reduce the number of drunk drivers on our roadways.
“Officers across the province are working hard to prevent tragedies, similar to the one that took Alexa Middelaer at such a young age,” added DPD Chief Neil Dubord, chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee “It’s been nearly 10 years, but it’s so important to see her legacy live on through the officers who are named to Alexa’s Team.”
In order to qualify to be named to Alexa’s Team, a police officer has to have taken at least 12 impaired drivers off the road in the previous year.
