Thousands of Canadians are joining the effort to honour a fallen Vernon police officer. Since a Morning Star article Feb. 4, the number of signatures on an online petition (www.surreyauxiliary.org/petition) regarding Auxiliary Const. Glen Evely has climbed from 200 to almost 3,000. “The response to the petition has been phenomenal and I have to thank the public,” said Dave Langlands, an auxiliary officer in Surrey who launched the petition drive to have Evely added to a national memorial.“It’s really striking a chord with readers of The Morning Star.” But it’s not just North Okanagan residents speaking out. “We have responses from across Canada, the U.S., and as far away as the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates,” said Langlands. Evely, who was an auxiliary officer in the Vernon RCMP, died in 2004 when the police cruiser he was a passenger in was struck by a stolen vehicle.
The RCMP have attempted three times to have Evely included on the Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial in Ottawa, but the committee that oversees the monument has turned down the bids. It states the memorial is only for full-time officers, not auxiliary officers. However, Langlands insists that auxiliary officers provide a valuable resource to the police force, and they put their lives at risk every time they are on duty. “It just amazes me that they (committee) don’t think we should be on there,” he said. Langlands hopes the scope of the petition will increase.
“Anyone who signs the petition should send a link to everyone in their e-mail address books,” he said. Other media in the Okanagan and in the Lower Mainland are also now focusing on Langlands’ efforts to recognize Evely. The petition will ultimately be presented to the organizations that make up the memorial committee in Ottawa. “They need to reconsider their criteria. Canadians believe the work we do is just as honourable as regular members,” said Langlands. Among those supporting Langlands’ petition is Cpl. Tom Clark, the national auxiliary co-ordinator. for the RCMP. “It shows the level of support for this issue. We’re not willing to let this go,” he said. “The more the petition grows, we can hopefully get this overturned.” Clark is particularly disappointed that the committee changed its criteria in December to ensure auxiliary officers aren’t on the memorial. “Because they’ve changed the criteria, they’ve admitted Glen Evely met all of their criteria,” he said.
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