WATCH: Cars, trucks, and motorcycles flooded Langford Sunday morning for the third-annual Sarah Beckett Memorial Cruise. Hundreds showed up to take the drive up island to Port Renfrew and back in memory of the fallen officer. Luisa Alvarez reports.
The sun was out and the engines were roaring, everywhere you looked there was an array of cars, trucks, and motorcycles as hundreds showed up all in support of the annual Sarah Beckett memorial cruise.
“It’s in honour of her to show our appreciation for what our West Shore detachment does,” said one of the cruise organizers Nick Poulopoulos.
Const. Sara Becket was killed by an impaired driver while on duty in April of 2016. Most recently she was the first to be added to the West Shore RCMP wall of honour, which began in her memory.
Sean French with the West Shore RCMP was helping facilitate the cruise and says Sarah was a real champion in the community.
“Sarah was a wonderful down to earth, friendly humorous very funny person and a wonderful mother,” said French.
Not everyone who showed up knew her, but being in the atmosphere with those who did made it clear she was the kind of person well deserving of the turnout.
Const. Benje Bartley came to the detachment after Beckett’s passing and says Sarah was known throughout for her dedication to her family and her community.
“From the stories that we hear and the outpouring of the community you can tell not only was she an outstanding police officer and outstanding mother, wife and friend all,” said Bartley.
The cruise which is in its third year begins in Langford, the city which she served, and continues up Island to Port Renfrew and then back.
Poulopoulos says he saw a different side to Beckett as she would often stop by their car club meetups.
“She’d pop in, in uniform and cruiser and come say hi and see what it was all about she was kind of considered the cool cop cause she wasn’t familiar with it but she was interested in it she was curious,” said Poulopoulos.
The aim is to raise money for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) a program taught in schools to help teens choose a drug-free life. It was also the program Beckett advocated for throughout most of her policing career.
“We’re aiming for $1,500 anything over and above that we are more than happy,” said Poulopoulos.
Organizers say the memorial cruise will continue on at least for another 10 years.
Donations can be given online through the DARE website.
Luisa Alvarez
