CONGRATULATIONS
This year our men in black, the Ontario Provincial Police are celebrating 100 years of patrolling Ontario and keeping us the residents safe. To all 8,900 employees we salute you and thank you for a century of hard work.
The general headquarters of the Ontario Provincial Police, known to us as the OPP, is located in Orillia Ontario Canada and has been since 1995. Here you also find an OPP Museum with all kinds of fascinating exhibits.
October 13, 1909 was the first day that the OPP was considered an active organization with 45 officers and 2 inspectors.
It wasn't until 1910 that the first uniforms were issued. 1922 saw the OPP using motorcycles to patrol the highways but by 1941 new black Chevy coupes replaced them, with radar technology added in 1954 and then breathalyzer systems in 1956.
Ontarians quickly became familiar with the black and white cars, but in keeping with the times in 1989 they were replaced with an all new white cruiser.
However, with a new chief onboard in 2007, the old familiar black and white cruiser was back on the highways replacing the white cruisers as the fleet was re-newed.
Eyes in the skies in the form of a Cessna 206 equipped with a state-of-the-art glass cockpit and camera system; hash marks on the pavement and cruisers on the shoulder were added as a new resource to its traffic management in 2008!
It took until 1974 before women were recruited to the force as police officers.
After a century of policing, the Ontario Provincial Police is one of North America's largest deployed police services with now more than 5,900 uniformed officers, 2,600 civilian employees plus 850 auxiliary members, serving a province with more than 12 million people, one million square kilometers of land, over 110,000 square kilometers of waterways and more than 130,000 kilometers of provincial highways.
You better tell no lies here because the OPP is considered a world leader in the field of forensic polygraphy.
To OUR men in black of the Ontario Provincial Police, who entertain us at community events with their Golden Helmet Precision Motorcycle Team, distinctive plaid tartan and Ontario Provincial Police Pipes & Drum band, as well as protect us, we offer you congratulations on your milestone, our true respect for your dedication and our heartfelt thanks.
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