The Barrie Police Service is honoured to receive the 2009 Police Achievement Award from CAA South Central Ontario. The award was presented today to Police Chief Wayne Frechette by Cindy Hillaby of CAA.

Care for kids gives Barrie Police Service top cops award from CAA

(Barrie, On.) - For several years, the Barrie Police Service has been a dedicated partner in school and traffic safety along with CAA. It has shown a strong commitment to the Barrie community, enhancing the feeling of safety and security for school children and their families.

It is for these very reasons that the Canadian Automobile Association, South Central Ontario has chosen to award the annual School Safety Patrol Achievement Award to the Barrie Police Service for 2009.

Currently, there are over 35 schools in Barrie who participate in the CAA School Safety Patrol program with over 1,100 children volunteering to be either school or foot patrollers in their respective schools.

“With over 50 different police services and OPP detachments participating in the CAA School Safety Patrol program it is important to recognize the partner we feel best exemplifies the spirit of the program,” said CAA program design specialist Leslie Rocha. “The police officers in Barrie are constantly going above and beyond what is required of them.”

The Barrie Police Service has helped the patroller program raise thousands of dollars. They have organized patroller dances for the kids, sent the kids to the patroller jamboree and Camp Samac and given them rewards throughout the year to keep their spirits up, especially in rainy and snowy weather. The service has also joined CAA in several public relations initiatives throughout the year to help build awareness about the School Safety Program and traffic safety. This includes the Back to School campaign with the OPP this fall and the “Parents are a traffic hazard” event this year.
“We are honoured to be given this award by CAA South Central Ontario,” said Barrie Police Chief Wayne Frechette. “This program is a vital part of keeping the children in our community safe and helps turn our young children into future traffic safety leaders. We are proud to be a part of the CAA School Safety Patrol program.”

The CAA School Safety Patrol program is a joint partnership between CAA, the police, school boards, teachers, parents and more than 25,000 dedicated student volunteers who give their time to ensure their peers remain safe at road crossings and on school buses in South Central Ontario.

For more information about CAA School Safety Patrol Program, visit www.caasco.com/schoolsafety .