Celebrating local Indigenous Youth Creativity
In 2023, the Abbotsford Police Department launched a contest inviting local Indigenous youth from our school district to design a shoulder flash that would represent their heritage, family, and community values. The initiative aimed to reflect the attributes they wished to see in their police force.
The response was positively overwhelming, with over 40 submissions of artwork received. On Truth and Reconciliation Day in 2023, these submissions were displayed in the AbbyPD lobby, where the public was invited to vote for their favorite design.
The winning design, created by Liam Silver, a Grade 12 student from W.J. Mouat Secondary School, was chosen to be digitally rendered into an official police shoulder flash for the AbbyPD to be worn on future Truth and Reconciliation Days. This design was unveiled in a grand ceremony on National Truth and Reconciliation Day this year (2024).
On September 30th, during the event, Liam was brought on stage for the official unveiling of his design. He had the opportunity to speak about his creation, and in a powerful moment, the police officers on stage simultaneously replaced their regular flashes with the new flashes, to the enthusiastic applause of the crowd.
As a token of appreciation, Liam was gifted one of the new flashes to keep as a memento of his achievement. This event not only celebrated Liam’s artistic talent but also highlighted the importance of community and cultural representation within the police force.