Vern began his career with the Ontario Provincial Police in May of 1967 and was posted to Matheson, only twenty-five miles from his home town of Timmins. Throughout his time in Matheson, Vern actively participated within his community through playing sports himself and by coaching young people in all forms of sports.

Vern and partner had stopped for coffee the night of November 16, 1984. A young man who had decided that he was going to kill a police officer that night entered the coffee shop and shot Officer Miller point blank in the back of the head.

To honor this fallen officer and in appreciation for his dedication and involvement in the community, the local arena was named after him.

Vern Miller was survived by his wife and three children.

Born on September 3, 1928, (John) Jack Ross was raised on the family farm in Oxford County. As a student at Woodstock Collegiate, he was interested in sports. Unfortunately, his high school education came to an end with the death of his father, necessitating for Jack to work the farm.

Jack made a career choice in 1962, selling the farm and joining the Ontario Provincial Police. Initially, Jack was posted at Essex but later was fortunate to be transferred to his home turf of Woodstock.

On October 7, 1984, Jack and another officer were shot by one of two men who had earlier killed one man and a police officer, and had also been involved in a hostage taking. Although they were wearing body armour when the suspect fired at them, each was hit in an unprotected area. Unfortunately, Jack’s wounds were fatal.

Commemorative tributes, including the Jack Ross Sports Bursary for students at Woodstock Collegiate and the naming of Jack Ross Drive in his memory, are constant reminders of the community’s respect for Jack.

Jack was survived by his wife and five children.

Bill McIntyre was born on April 12, 1951 and resided in Oakville during his early years. He was a particularly good student and spent three years as an apprentice in a mechanics course. Bill decided to become a police officer and joined the OPP on May 1, 1972.

Bill worked in Goderich and Sauble Beach, Tobermory, Exeter and Mount Forest. While working as an officer, Bill was well received by the public and received letters of appreciation throughout his career.

On October 1, 1983, Bill was promoted to Corporal. He requested a change of location and was transferred to the Technical Support Branch at OPP GHQ in Toronto. In this position, Bill was actively involved in undercover and physical surveillance work.

Just one month sort of his twelfth year as a police officer, Bill was called by his supervisor to remind him of a work assignment but he could not be reached. Both his personal car and an undercover vehicle were in the parking lot. Some time later, Bill was found dead in his apartment. He had been fatally shot and a small-calibre bullet wound was found on the back of his head.

Although Bill’s death occurred while he was off-duty, the OPP Commissioner at that time stated that his death was definitely work-related. A small private funeral was held in Burlington with many officers attending in uniform.

OPP members who worked with Bill McIntyre all attest to his hard work and dedication to duty.

Bruce Crew was active in the community and did everything required of him as a police officer despite years of pain due to back problems.

Bruce was born on April 10, 1936 and had a keen interest in sports. He was appointed to the OPP on April 3, 1958 and was stationed at the Kitchener Detachment. Bruce and his family lived in Kitchener for seven years before they moved to Goderich.

He was an enthusiastic handyman and carpenter and volunteered his time at the local Presbyterian Church. Bruce coached minor hockey, and a memorial cup was instituted in his honour.

PC Crew was a twenty-five year veteran of the OPP at the time of his death. During the last few years of his service, Bruce suffered from a spinal column disease that caused his ligaments and disk to solidify. Despite the pain, he continued to work hard.

In the early hours of September 25, 1983, PC Crew and his partner, PC Straughan, were on patrol when they were dispatched to support a member of the Goderich Police Department who was involved in a high-speed chase. A couple more cruisers also converged on the speeding vehicle. A chase ensued with the two OPP officers positioning their cruiser on the highway.

The fugitive car crested the first hill and the vehicle skidded to a halt. PC Straughan radioed to say that the chase was over. PC Crew walked over to the stopped vehicle to seize the keys from the ignition. The radio transmission was not picked up by the officer who was driving the vehicle from the Goderich Police Department. As the car came over the hill, unaware of the situation just ahead of them, the Goderich Police Department vehicle struck the OPP cruiser, the fugitive car and PC Crew who stood in its path. Crew was killed and his partner was injured.

The subsequent coroner’s inquest jury recommended a mandatory review of high-speed chases by all Ontario police forces.

A police funeral was held and Bruce Crew was laid to rest in the Presbyterian cemetery in Collingwood.

Bruce Crew’s photograph along with a plaque commemorating the Bruce Crew Memorial Golf Tournament hangs proudly at the Huron County Detachment.

Rick, or “Hoppy” as he was sometimes called was born in Toronto on May 27, 1950 and joined the OPP on November 4, 1971, just four months after his twenty-first birthday. He was a ten-year veteran of the OPP when he lost his life on May 9, 1982.

On Sunday May 9, 1982, Constable J.B. Henderson joined Rick on routine patrol in the Mount Forest detachment area. A complaint was received at one a.m. regarding a shooting. A young man had been hitchhiking in Arthur Township just south of Mount Forest. The windshield of the car, in which he was riding in, had been shattered when a man standing at the side of the road fired a rifle directly at the car. The incident was reported to police. Both Hopkins and Henderson drove in the direction of Arthur towards the intersection of Highways 6 and 9, but did not notice any suspicious cars or persons.

Three hours after the original call was received, the Mount Forest car was in Arthur. There had been a fire at a local store. The fire chief reported that a man had been seen behind the store carrying a rifle. They patrolled the area and found a man carrying a long gun in each hand. The suspect turned and fired a shotgun, directly at Constable Hopkins hitting him in the neck and upper chest. Rick was wearing body armour at the time but the Kevlar only covered his chest. Despite the desperate efforts of two nurses who were passing by and were able to provide immediate assistance, neither of them could stop the bleeding. Rick passed away within a few minutes. Constable Henderson fired his service revolver at the shooter but decided to stay with his mortally wounded partner until back up arrived. A twenty-one year old man was arrested and charged with murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Rick’s life was celebrated in a service that was attended by police officers from all over North America.

Lorne Foran had a rich and full life. His style of aggressive, hard-working policing earned him successive promotions and the respect of his fellow officers.

Lorne was born on March 18, 1937 in Kirkland Lake. He held several different jobs before becoming a police officer on June 1, 1960. As a Constable, Lorne was commended for his role in policing a strike in Kapuskasing. He served at detachments in North Bay and Still River before he left general duties and began to serve in more specialized branches. Lorne spent time with the Precious Metals Squad in Timmins and his hometown area of Kirkland Lake.

Detective Sergeant Foran moved successively into the Security Branch, Indian Policing, the Registration Branch and finally the position that he had sought for so many years, the Criminal Investigation Branch. Lorne was promoted to detective inspector on September 22, 1981 and received his Queen’s Commission.

Lorne was very proud of the fact that he had eleven relatives in police work. Over the years, several Crown Attorney’s commented on his abilities and dedication to his job.

On May 4, 1982, Lorne was working on a case involving the disappearance and murder of a woman. After working several hours on the case, Lorne set out for home. While driving home from London on Highway 401, Lorne’s vehicle went off the road west of Putnum Road in North Dorchester Township. The eastbound vehicle drove into the median and rolled over on to its roof at 8:50pm. Detective Inspector Foran was taken to Woodstock General Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

A police funeral was held at Kingsview United Church followed by internment at Mounthaven Memorial Park in Whitby. Lorne was forty-five years old when he died and was a twenty-two year veteran of the Force.

Bill was born on August 11, 1930 in Kirkland Lake. After leaving high school, Bill was a top-notch underground miner.

Bill joined the OPP on June 6, 1964. Bill and his family settled in South Porcupine, followed by Hearst then later moving to North Bay.

Bill had a wide variety of interests ranging from scuba diving, skeet shooting and tinkered as a amateur mechanic. In his earlier days, he played drums in the Kirkland Lake area with a dance band. Bill was also a talented artist.

Constable Smith had just started the day shift on February 16, 1982, and was assigned to radar patrol. He was traveling west on Highway #17 when he clocked a speeder driving in the opposite direction. Bill turned the car in a sharp U-turn to pursue the fleeing vehicle and was struck broad-sided by a westbound truck. Bill died three hours later at North Bay Civic Hospital as a result of massive injuries. The driver of the truck was found not to be at fault.

Trees were planted in Bill’s memory at both the old and new North Bay Detachments. A plaque honouring the officer who loved life to the fullest is proudly displayed at the North Bay Detachment.

Ken Swett was born on March 8, 1951, in the Smiths Falls area. He was twenty-three years old when he joined the OPP on February 11, 1974. He was a fully trained mechanic and wanted to work in the auto theft section of the OPP.

Constable Swett was driving from Ottawa to the Lancaster Detachment on Highway 17 on July 17, 1981, driving home a victim of an assault and robbery when he received a vehicle for observation call on the radio for a drunk driver.

About two and one-half miles south of Highway 44, in the West Carleton Township, Ken spotted the vehicle. The drunk veered into Ken’s lane and struck the cruiser. The police car rolled and both vehicles burst into flames. Ken, the innocent victim and the drunk driver were all killed at the scene as a result of multiple injuries.

The remains of thirty-year old PC Ken Swett were taken to the Blair Funeral Home in Smiths Falls followed by a police funeral. Ken was laid to rest in the Hillcrest Cemetery in North Elmsley Township.

Rick Verdecchia was born on May 20, 1945 in Sault Ste. Marie. After the death of his father, Rick left high school in the eleventh grade to help support his family. He later finished high school via correspondence. Rick worked for more than five years at Algoma Steel and in his spare time, he enjoyed hunting and fishing, played baseball and bowling.

When the family was settled financially, Rick announced that he wanted a job where he could help people and decided to join the OPP. On January 5, 1970, Rick began his policing career with the OPP and was posted to the Hearst Detachment. Shortly after he arrived in Hearst, he met his future wife. They soon married and had a daughter in 1980.

Rick and his family relocated to Huntsville with plans to build their dream house with a view of the lake on the outskirts of town. The eleven-year police veteran enjoyed a late New Year’s Day dinner with his family before leaving for work at about eleven-thirty on January 1, 1981.

On January 1, 1981 two young men, stole weapons from the home of friends known to one of the men. They cut across Highway 17 to Highway 11 traveling southbound towards a service station in Burks Falls. When they did not have the money to pay for the gasoline, the oldest of the two men fatally shot the attendant and left him by the pumps.

The police were dispatched but there was a mix up in communications. As it appeared the car, which the fugitives were driving in, was related to another minor occurrence. Verdecchia observed the men traveling south and turned his cruiser around to pursue the vehicle. As the young men turned west onto Highway 141, they slid into a snow bank. Constable Verdecchia approached the right side of the vehicle and was shot through the open passenger window. Angry that he had not killed the officer outright, the assailant left the car and shot Verdecchia a second time.

The two men rolled the officer’s body over the snow bank and fled the scene in the cruiser. Rick’s body was not found for seven hours. Their car was observed just north of Orillia and was clocked on radar at 107kpm. Constable Neil Hurtubise stopped the vehicle and approached the car cautiously but was shot several times. Neil was able to unholster his service revolver and fire three shots. The unexpected return of fire caused the young men to drive off.

Constable Hurtubise managed to crawl to his cruiser and call for assistance. Seven different cruisers responded. Within three minutes, an officer arrived and transported Hurtibise to Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Orillia. The hunt for the assailants went into full gear. The two men abandoned their vehicle near a local hotel on Highway 11 in Orillia and were tracked at 3:55am to an auto repair shop. The two men were found sleeping in an old van.

In the weeks that followed, one of the assailant’s lawyers stated that his client was dangerous and possibly insane. At the subsequent murder trial, expert witnesses backed up the lawyer’s statement. Despite reference of insanity, the man was found guilty of two counts of murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for twenty-five years.

There were thirteen hundred police officers in attendance at the funeral of Rick Verdecchia in Huntsville. Following the funeral, a group of concerned citizens started a drive to have soft body armour purchased for Huntsville officers. Commissioner Graham had authorized product testing and soon after the body armour came into general use.

In October 1999, Rick Verdecchia’s killer Gary Fitzgerald escaped the minimum security Ferndale Institute in Abbotsford, British Columbia after having served 18 years of his sentence. Three months later, he was captured in Los Angeles and returned to prison.

Bill Shores was born on November 30, 1938 in London Ontario. He joined the OPP on April 6, 1964.

The new officer enjoyed hunting and shooting. He was keen on antiques and shot both rifle and pistol. He served at London detachment for twelve years before transferring to Dutton. At the time, Bill and his family lived in Wallaceburg.

Bill had his fair share of adventures while serving the people of Ontario. He, and his partner at the time, successfully prevented a drunk driver from dashing across the lines of traffic on a busy highway. Both officers discharged their revolvers into the air in an attempt to stop the driver. Although their ploy was successful, the two officers were called in by the Superintendent and reminded that the use of firearms was not appropriate in this instance.

On November 19, 1980, Shores and his partner were investigating a motor vehicle accident where a car had gone over an embankment. PC Shores had complained of not feeling well after clambering up and down the hill. Nevertheless, he still reported for work the following evening.

On Sunday November 30, 1980 at approximately ten p.m., while working alone, Constable Shores was dispatched to a domestic complaint in New Glasgow. PC McConnell was also dispatched to assist Shores as back up. A young former mental patient who was living with his mother was drunk and became abusive toward her. Constable Shores arrested the man on a charge of intoxication in a public place as he found him wandering the streets. A struggle ensued and the man was handcuffed. When Bill’s back up arrived on the scene he noticed that the handcuffs were twisted. They were removed and as Bill was reapplying them, he collapsed to the road. Even though CPR was performed immediately, Constable Shores died of a massive heart attack.

McConnell called for an ambulance and performed CPR on his partner. Shores was taken to Four Counties Hospital in Newbury where he was pronounced dead as a result of a coronary thrombosis at 11:05pm. Back at the scene of the arrest, the prisoner was so transfixed by the events that unfolded in front of him that he fully cooperated with police until he was taken to a lockup.

Bill Shores had a quiet family funeral by a small OPP honour guard to see him on his way.