OPP Sergeant John Spence of the Haliburton Highlands Detachment is being celebrated for his dedication to policing, his family and his community by his peers. 

May 9th-15th, 2021 is National Police Week. This is an annual celebration where the work of every day police personnel can be highlighted and celebrated. There are many untold stories out there, and this is one of them.

Earlier this year, John was nominated for a 2021 Police Association of Ontario Police Hero Award. His nomination was not eligible due to the requirement that the nominator be a community member and not a co-worker. The PAO were kind enough to forward the nomination to us here at the OPP Association, and we felt it was fitting to share this nomination publicly during Police Week. 

The nomination reads as follows: 

I am proud to not only nominated but to have served with Sergeant John Spence. Sergeant Spence is the perfect example of what a leader within the community is. John, myself and another officer where involved in a very serious incident in summer 2020. Knowing that I was alone and did not have any local support, John took me into his home with open arms. While spending time with John and his family I truly got to know the person John was. I couldn’t believe the number of people that stopped in for advice, and that on a day off John would stop in to check on a local teen and her family to make sure that they had access to the proper community resources, and when he saw they did not, he made the proper arrangements. All of this after going through a potentially life ending incident himself truly showed Johns true colours. At the end of the day award or no award I hope I can serve my community and my service like Sergeant John Spence.

The work of our members is often very difficult and done under very stressful conditions. We acknowledge that often the circumstances our members find themselves in while serving and protecting takes a toll on their health and well being, including their families. The OPP Association is immensley proud of the dedicated work and class that John and our members demonstrate each and every day. It is an honour for us to share this heartfelt story publicly. 

Congratulations John on being recognized by your peers. Thanks to John and to all who serve and have served. Your service is appreciated.