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South Simcoe Police kicks off Pride Month

For the first time, the service has Pride epaulettes for officers to wear in support of the LGBTQI2S community
2021-06-01 SSPS Pride Epaulettes
South Simcoe Police Pride epaulettes

NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE
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South Simcoe Police Service is kicking off Pride Month with a historic celebration by unveiling the service's first ever Pride flag. The flag was created by the SSPS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee which has been working to promote positive, meaningful change within the organization. Also for the first time, the service has Pride epaulettes for officers to wear in support of our LGBTQI2S community.

Another first for South Simcoe Police Service will occur on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 with the raising of the Pride flag at both police stations. The ceremonies will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the North Division in Innisfil and 3 p.m. at the South Division in Bradford. We will be streaming both events through Facebook Live for those who cannot attend in person as numbers are limited due to pandemic gathering restrictions. Photos will be posted on our Twitter and Instagram.

The Pride flag-raisings are supported by our local partners: Innisfil Pride, The Town of Innisfil, The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, York Regional Police Pride, Barrie Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee was formed last year and is comprised of civilian and uniform members from throughout the Service. The committee’s focus is to educate and support our members through training and front line tool kits, while promoting inclusion and celebrating the diversity of our organization and community.

“The work of this committee will be integral in bringing about meaningful change by not only recognizing the tremendous diversity of our Service and Community, but taking steps to ensure we embrace inclusion at all levels. We look forward to celebrating these historic events with our members and the community." - Chief Andrew Fletcher

“This is a historic chapter for the South Simcoe Police Service as it represents not only support and acceptance of our LGBTQ+ community, but serves to reiterate the services’ ethos of being an inclusive organization that supports its members.” - Constable Nicole Kostiuk and Crime Analyst Cliff Aguiar, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee members

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