Saskatchewan Mountie memorial reaches fundraising goal

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This article was published 05/01/2022 (1435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Six months after Indian Head RCMP Const. Shelby Patton was killed in the line of duty, organizers behind a memorial park in his honour say they have already reached their fundraising goal and are eyeing an opening date as early as summer.

As of Dec. 30, donors from across the country had contributed $155,400 for construction of the Constable Shelby Patton Memorial Park, said McKenzie Craigie, facility operations manager for Indian Head, Sask., and a member of the memorial park’s development committee.

“We had obviously a lot of community support and regional support, as our RCMP detachment serves 13 other communities and rural municipalities,” as well as the support of the National Police Federation and the Regina division of the RCMP Veterans’ Association, Craigie said.

“That really helped spread the message.”

Patton, 26, was hit June 12 by a vehicle in the town of Wolseley, roughly 100 kilometres east of Regina, after stopping a suspected stolen truck.

Police arrested Alphonse Stanley Traverse, 42, and Marlene Pagee, 43, both of Winnipeg. Traverse has been charged with second-degree murder and Pagee with being an accessory to murder after the fact. They remain in custody.

Patton’s six-year RCMP career began and ended in Indian Head, a community some 70 km east of Regina, where police officers are considered like family, Craigie said.

“We are really lucky to have an RCMP detachment in our town,” she said.

“(Officers) come from all over Canada, so when they come to this small little town in Saskatchewan, they become your family; they play on your sports teams and they have kids at the same school and you really get to know them.”

The new park will sit on a small former residential lot that has since been taken over by the town and converted to green space, Craigie said.

With money now in hand, the committee has moved ahead purchasing and commissioning several feature items for the park, including an entry archway, granite memorial, covered picnic area and outdoor exercise equipment — the last in recognition of Patton’s dedication to fitness and health, Craigie said.

“I hope that people can come and pay tribute to Const. Patton and realize that there’s all these kind of emergency personnel that put their life on the line for us every day and this is, unfortunately, what can happen.”

Melanie Patton, Shelby’s mother, said support for the project has been “amazing.”

“Sometimes, it takes my words away,” she said. “He gave his life in the line of duty. It’s a way to remember him and carry on for future generations. Little ones will wonder who he was.”

RCMP Staff Sgt. Devin Pugh, Patton’s former detachment commander, described Patton as a “smart, keen and very caring” officer who had “a very positive influence” on the community, particularly with youth.

“He was a real stand-up member… what every RCMP officer should aspire to be,” he said. “He would have gone very far, that’s for sure.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca