Ten Delta police officers have been named to Alexa’s Team for their work in issuing immediate roadside prohibitions and warnings.
Ten years ago in May, four-year-old Alexa Middelaer of Ladner was killed by a drunk driver in her hometown. The driver, a 56-year-old woman, was later convicted of drunk driving.
Following the tragedy, Alexa’s parents Laurel and Michael Middelaer came together to create change around impaired driving. They spearheaded changes to provincial drinking and driving legislation and also created Alexa’s Team, a recognition for officer’s who work to get impaired drivers off the roads.
In order to qualify to be named to Alexa’s Team, a police officer has to have taken at least 12 impaired drivers off the road, either through a Criminal Code charge or an immediate roadside prohibition process in the previous year.
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The Delta police officers named to the team took 210 drivers off the road in 2017.
“Those are 210 drivers who were at significant risk of being in a crash, and injuring or even killing themselves and other innocent people,” said Supt. Harj Sidhu, who is in charge of front line policing in Delta.
One officer, Const. Taylor Armstrong, made a particularly noteworthy contribution by taking 38 drivers off the road last year.
“Officers across the province are working hard to prevent tragedies, similar to the one that took Alexa Middelaer at such a young age,” said Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord.
“It’s been nearly ten years, but it’s so important to see her legacy live on through the officers who are named to Alexa’s Team.”
grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.com
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