A new police cruiser designed specifically for Aamjiwnaang First Nation’s dedicated Community Officer was unveiled Tuesday.
"With the privilege of providing policing services for Aamjiwnaang First Nation, the Sarnia Police introduced our first Aamjiwnaang Community Officer last year,” Sarnia Police Chief Derek Davis said of Const. Tyler Callander. “We are pleased to expand that program with the introduction of a specially designed Aamjiwnaang community police vehicle.”
The vehicle features imagery by local artist Aaron Plain, after the Sarnia Police Service solicited the community’s help in the design and creation of an Aamjiwnaang heritage cruiser.
The design is called “Keeper” and is described by Plain as “an experiment that grew into a story.”
It features images of warriors, of women and of Mother Earth. Other prominent elements are the medicine wheel — a reminder Aaron says, “that everything comes in fours-the seasons, the four stages of life and the four cardinal directions.”
The orange handprint is to “help us remember and honour the lives of our children.”
Police say the partnership helps establish a presence in the community through positive engagement, and providing effective, efficient and culturally appropriate policing to the people of Aamjiwnaang.
“Designed by a First Nation artist, this vehicle helps demonstrate our commitment to both respect and reflect the distinct identity of the Aamjiwnaang community in the provision of policing services,” Davis added.