A Community of Standing with Those Who Stand for Us
When the RCMP prepared to commemorate its 125th anniversary in 1998, I saw an opportunity for Comox to do more than simply mark a historic milestone. I believed we could use the occasion to make a statement about who we were as a community, one that valued public safety and respected those who serve. Through persistence, partnerships, and fundraising, we established the first RCMP sub-office in Comox at the Comox Community Centre. I called RCMP Depot in Regina and explained what we were trying to accomplish. They asked several times whether this was a federal initiative. I told them it was not. There was no federal program behind it, no federal funding, and no government directive. It was simply a community saying to its police service: We are behind you. We want to help. Their response was immediate: “We’re in. Anything you need.” They sent photographs and memorabilia connecting our small community office to the national history and tradition of the RCMP.
That moment stayed with me. Because community safety is not simply about having police officers in a community. It is about building a relationship between those who serve and those they serve. In 2009, I carried that commitment forward by establishing the Comox Valley Law Enforcement Person of the Year Award. At its centre were two rare RCMP Centennial rifles from theForce’s 1973 centennial, bearing consecutive serial numbers. I owned them, but I came to believe they belonged to something larger than a private collection.They represented history, sacrifice, duty, and the tradition of service that should never be forgotten. Danny Mearns, one of Vancouver Island’s finest cabinet makers, handcrafted the display cabinet, not simply as a craftsman, but as someone who understood what this meant. Danny himself had grown up with the support of the local RCMP, and in giving his time and talent, he was helping give something back to the organization that had once been there for him.
Dave Stevens and Inspector Gray were instrumental in bringing the initiative to life. Rotary members, RCMP officers, local organizations, and countless others stepped forward with their time, resources, and belief in what we were trying to accomplish. What began as an idea became a community effort, and what the community built together became a lasting symbol of something larger: When people believe in their community, they don't just talk about its values, they build them. Danny and I ensured the rifles and cabinet were ultimately gifted to the local Comox Valley RCMP detachment and became part of an annual award recognizing outstanding RCMP officers and civilian members. The award recognizes integrity, courage, leadership, professionalism, and service above self. But its deeper purpose is something larger. It is a declaration that good policing and strong communities are inseparable.
A police officer cannot build a safe community alone. Nor can citizens. Safety is built in the space between them, in trust, accountability, partnership, respect, and the willingness of ordinary people to stand beside those who run toward danger when everyone else is running away. That is why recognizing excellence in law enforcement matters. It tells the men and women who wear the uniform that their community sees them. That their sacrifices are not invisible. That courage still matters. That integrity still matters. And if we want safer communities tomorrow, we must have the courage to stand with those who protect them today. Because public safety is not something we inherit. It is something we build.
It is something we defend.
And it is something we owe to one another. But there is one final truth worth remembering: A community is measured not by how loudly it praises those who protect it, but by whether it stands beside them when they need us to stand. That is the legacy this award was created to carry. The 2026 Comox Valley Law Enforcement Person of the Year Award goes to Constable Chris Brennen of the Serious Crimes Unit, Comox Valley RCMP Detachment.
When the RCMP prepared to commemorate its 125th anniversary in 1998, I saw an opportunity for Comox to do more than simply mark a historic milestone. I believed we could use the occasion to make a statement about who we were as a community, one that valued public safety and respected those who serve. Through persistence, partnerships, and fundraising, we established the first RCMP sub-office in Comox at the Comox Community Centre. I called RCMP Depot in Regina and explained what we were trying to accomplish. They asked several times whether this was a federal initiative. I told them it was not. There was no federal program behind it, no federal funding, and no government directive. It was simply a community saying to its police service: We are behind you. We want to help. Their response was immediate: “We’re in. Anything you need.” They sent photographs and memorabilia connecting our small community office to the national history and tradition of the RCMP.
That moment stayed with me. Because community safety is not simply about having police officers in a community. It is about building a relationship between those who serve and those they serve. In 2009, I carried that commitment forward by establishing the Comox Valley Law Enforcement Person of the Year Award. At its centre were two rare RCMP Centennial rifles from theForce’s 1973 centennial, bearing consecutive serial numbers. I owned them, but I came to believe they belonged to something larger than a private collection.They represented history, sacrifice, duty, and the tradition of service that should never be forgotten. Danny Mearns, one of Vancouver Island’s finest cabinet makers, handcrafted the display cabinet, not simply as a craftsman, but as someone who understood what this meant. Danny himself had grown up with the support of the local RCMP, and in giving his time and talent, he was helping give something back to the organization that had once been there for him.
Dave Stevens and Inspector Gray were instrumental in bringing the initiative to life. Rotary members, RCMP officers, local organizations, and countless others stepped forward with their time, resources, and belief in what we were trying to accomplish. What began as an idea became a community effort, and what the community built together became a lasting symbol of something larger: When people believe in their community, they don't just talk about its values, they build them. Danny and I ensured the rifles and cabinet were ultimately gifted to the local Comox Valley RCMP detachment and became part of an annual award recognizing outstanding RCMP officers and civilian members. The award recognizes integrity, courage, leadership, professionalism, and service above self. But its deeper purpose is something larger. It is a declaration that good policing and strong communities are inseparable.
A police officer cannot build a safe community alone. Nor can citizens. Safety is built in the space between them, in trust, accountability, partnership, respect, and the willingness of ordinary people to stand beside those who run toward danger when everyone else is running away. That is why recognizing excellence in law enforcement matters. It tells the men and women who wear the uniform that their community sees them. That their sacrifices are not invisible. That courage still matters. That integrity still matters. And if we want safer communities tomorrow, we must have the courage to stand with those who protect them today. Because public safety is not something we inherit. It is something we build.
It is something we defend.
And it is something we owe to one another. But there is one final truth worth remembering: A community is measured not by how loudly it praises those who protect it, but by whether it stands beside them when they need us to stand. That is the legacy this award was created to carry. The 2026 Comox Valley Law Enforcement Person of the Year Award goes to Constable Chris Brennen of the Serious Crimes Unit, Comox Valley RCMP Detachment.
