LITTLE CURRENT—The Anchor Inn played host to a retirement party for 30-year veteran OPP officer Patricia Smith. The Anchor Inn’s bar side was packed with well-wishers that included colleagues, family and friends and highlighted a side of law enforcement officers that too few members of the public have an opportunity to witness.
Ms. Smith was feted by those who knew her best after her 30 years in public service and the laughter and tears that filled the room highlighted the great esteem with which the police officer is held.
Marie Ford, herself a recently retired OPP officer, acted as master of ceremonies for the event and set up the party with the able assistance of her partner Steve Redmond (also a retired OPP officer).
Ms. Ford provided a brief bio of her friend at the start of the party. “She worked the road and did considerable amount of community service, including teaching young children,” said Ms. Ford. “She married the love of her life, Dan in 1997, Andrew was born in 1999, Abby in 2010 and Amy in 2008. I can personally attest to how it would shatter Patty, whenever she had to leave Dan and the kids. In fact, one year, when we were all and told (of course probably illegal) now to go to Caledonia for a week—we both cried all the way down and got to our accommodations.”
“Is that not true?” she asked Ms. Smith.
Ms. Ford recalled Ms. Smith as an “incredible recruit. In fact, she was so good, Manitoulin did not have another recruit for 50 years.”
The master of ceremony went on to recall her own first day at the Gore Bay detachment. “I had recently transferred to Manitoulin from Nappanee and I was sitting in the Gore Bay detachment—I’m fairly sure I was crying because I was in the middle of nowhere,” said Ms. Ford. “And Patty, her cheery little self, came in and said, ‘hi,’ introducing herself and I instantly felt better. Patty and I connected, and we have been inseparable ever since. In fact, I think we are sisters.”
The evening proceeded in much the same vein, with testimonials pouring in from all sides.
In 2007, Ms. Smith “went upstairs to the crime unit,” recalled Ms. Ford. “She literally went upstairs. The only crime unit in the province with a bathtub.”
It was there that the detective went on to become known as “the master of murders, the sultan of sexual assault.” Going on to conduct investigations across the region, Ms. Smith was much more than an investigator, said Ms. Ford. “She did far more, she was integral in treating the victim services in our area, training them in the area of intimate, partner, violence and sexual assault. She did presentations at conferences and also trained the entire cluster of trauma-informed, investigators, all while taking on the odd murder investigation,” said Ms. Ford.
“More importantly, how she became the biggest advocate of victims of crime,” continued Ms. Ford. “She soon became our abuse issues coordinator and was invaluable in providing assistance to officers conducting interviews and making sure the integrity of these cases was not compromised.”
A mark of “good job” on the action reports reviewed by Ms. Smith became one of the hallmarks of a career. Those notes would be “a little blurb on whether it was good or she had to add things and you had to go back and do more work,” recalled Ms. Ford. “I always went back and looked to see what Patty had said about mine—and sometimes I didn’t do stuff. Then my partner, John, had to go and fix it up for me. On one occasion she put ‘good job’ and I was like, ‘that was cool.’ I thought I’d really reached my pinnacle of achievements.”
Ms. Smith was recalled by each speaker as being a champion for victims of crime and a staunch defender of her colleagues, especially when the chips were down.
She was also cited as someone who did not get excited in an emergency or stressful situation but remained calm and focussed on the issues at hand.
In an extremely touching moment, Ms. Smith’s father Murray and her son Alex presented her with her retirement badge—her father had been able to present Ms. Smith were her badge upon graduation from police college as well—bookmarking her career.
Among the accolades and certificates presented was one from Ontario Premier Doug Ford congratulating and thanking her for her years of service.
For her part, Ms. Smith thanked her colleagues, friends and family for an evening she will not soon forget and for the support she has received over the years from each and every one of them.
In an evening filled to the very brim with laughter and tears the essential humanity of those who stand sentinel in that thin blue line ensuring peace, order and justice prevails was revealed.
Congratulations from The Expositor Ms. Smith, and may you enjoy every minute of a well-deserved retirement.
