Over 200 Edmonton area school kids recently came out to take part in an event to pay homage to a man who was the first of his kind in the whole country.
The run was organized by the Edmonton police department to commemorate the life of Alex Decoteau, who was the nation’s first Aboriginal police officer, an accomplished Olympic athlete who excelled as a marathon runner, and also a decorated soldier.
The route was three kilometers long and was held to help mark National Aboriginal History Month.
According to Lisa Wolfe, who is the head of the city’s Police Service Recruiting Unit, the hope is that Mr. Decoteau’s example will encourage children to adopt healthy lifestyles and work hard to achieve their goals, much in the same way that he did back in the early part of the 20th Century. She also encouraged them to follow his lead and consider law enforcement for a future career.
To help celebrate his life, the Alex Decoteau Legacy of Heroes Comic Book was designed and then produced by printing services professionals. It’s one of a series that tells the stories of those who spent time on the Edmonton force.
Mr. Decoteau was from the Red Pheasant Indian Reserve and later relocated to Edmonton. He entered the police force before enlisting in the Canadian Army during the First World War. He was killed at Passchendaele in 1917.
