FREDERIC SERRE
The 1510 West
The families of two West Island police officers gunned down in 1985 and 1996 were on hand as the Montreal Police Service unveiled a wall of honour at its downtown headquarters on Nov. 27 – a ceremony that recognized 21 police officers killed in the line of duty since the creation of the SPVM in 1973.
Relatives of constables Jacinthe Fyfe and André Lalonde, as well as politicians, dignitaries and senior police officers looked on as Montreal police director Fady Dagher officially unveiled the wall, dubbed “L’allée des braves,” located in the lobby of the headquarters on St. Urbain Street. While 21 officers appear on the wall, Dagher reminded attendees that 70 men and women in blue were killed in the line of duty on the island of Montreal since 1843.
The ceremony was held exactly 29 years after Const. Odette Pinard was murdered. Her daughter, Geneviève, was present for the event.
Flanked by a large crowd of relatives and friends of the fallen, Dagher also unveiled a new insignia, featuring the words, “Tombé(e)s mais jamais oublié(e)s (Fallen, but never forgotten),” which honours Montreal’s slain officers, adding that all 4,600 frontline personnel will be wearing it on their uniforms and the entire SPVM fleet will feature the new sticker.
“We’ve never forgotten our fallen police officers,” Dagher said. “But today, we continue to do it by wearing this insignia on our uniforms. We have to remember where we come from. We have a 181-year history with 70 men and women who gave their lives.”
The ceremony began with the presentation of memorial plaques to family members of the fallen officers. Among them was Patrick and Nathalie Lalonde, the children of Const. André Lalonde, a 32-year veteran who was shot and killed in April 1996 during a routine traffic stop on a quiet road in Senneville. Lalonde, who was assigned out of the former Station 11 in Kirkland, was shot several times in the chest by the driver, after he was pulled over for a noisy muffler. While homicide investigators at the time identified a potential suspect, there was never enough evidence to tie him to the killing. Lalonde’s murder remains unresolved.
“This is beautiful, I am totally impressed,” Patrick Lalonde told The 1510 West as he and his sons gathered at the wall to observe the presentation. “(The SPVM) has done a beautiful job to honour my father.”
In an interview, André Lalonde’s widow, Nicole, explained that she was unable to attend the ceremony because she was on a cruise. However, she praised the SPVM for honouring her husband, adding that she was delighted that her children could represent the family.
“I had a special place in my heart for that ceremony,” she said. “I am so proud of my kids for being present when I can’t be there. I am so proud of the people they have become, and I know that André would be proud, too. I am 78 years old now, and I will keep trying to attend these events for as long as I can.”
The Montreal Police Service had originally created the wall of honour in the summer of 1997, but it was tucked away on the ground floor behind the main entrance. According to SPVM spokesman David Shane, it was the families of fallen police officers who recommended that the wall be moved into the lobby so that members of the public could easily see it.
“They spoke, and we listened,” Shane said.
The only two female police officers killed in the line of duty were also recognized. They included Const. Pinard, shot to death on Nov. 27, 1995, while sitting at the reception desk of a neighbourhood police station in Cartierville by an unknown gunman, as well as Jacinthe Fyfe, who was shot dead in Dorval on Oct. 26, 1985. While repeat offender Réal Poirier was charged with Fyfe’s murder, Pinard’s killer remains at large. The SPVM says her killing is still under investigation.
Cutline:
Montreal police director Fady Dagher (left) stands with Const. André Lalonde’s daughter, Nathalie, his son, Patrick (right), and Patrick’s sons.
Credit:
Frederic Serre, The 1510 West