A dozen sheriffs that serve in the Tri-Cities were honoured by the province this past weekend.
The Coquitlam- and Port Coquitlam-based peace officers received the exemplary service medal last Saturday (April 29).
Six added a bar to their uniform for 30 years, while six earned a physical medal for 20 years (in alphabetical order):
30 years
- Deputy Sheriff Adrian Cairns, Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Tim Clark, Port Coquitlam
- Insp. Peter Hamilton, Port Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Heather Mason, Port Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Shawn O'Shea, Port Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Roman Pozniak, Port Coquitlam
20 years
- Sgt. Rhoda Anderson, Port Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Angelo Cirillo, Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Raj Dhaliwal, Port Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Paul Fournier, Port Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Anthony Holland, Coquitlam
- Deputy Sheriff Bradley Sweet, Coquitlam
The recognition, which was created in 2004, is a national decoration that honours those that dedicate their lives to protect public safety.
According to a B.C. government release, eligible service medal recipients are "characterized by good conduct, industry and efficiency," while also "performing front-line duties with potential risk."
"It's wonderful to finally be able to award these medals after five years due to schedule changes and the [COVID-19] pandemic," said Paul Corrado, executive director and Chief Sheriff, BC Sheriff Service.
"We are incredibly proud of the work our sheriffs do every day to ensure all levels of court run smoothly and safely. I commend all sheriffs on their work with our justice system partners during the pandemic to create and implement procedures to support all levels of court in the province and ensuring access to justice."
The Tri-Cities peace officers were 12 out of 100 in total that received an award for their years of service during a ceremony held in Coquitlam.
It was the first in-person awards event for BC Sheriff Service members in five years and was hosted by B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma.
