Residents of Foothills County have been joining in mourning the loss of Sgt. Andrew Harnett, the 37-year-old Calgary Police Officer killed in the line of duty on New Year's Day.
Sgt. Harnett's death sent shock waves across the country, with his being the 12th life lost while on duty in the history of the Calgary Police Service, dating back to 1878.
A day after his passing, CPS made a post on their Facebook page encouraging those wanting to express their support and condolences to do so by lighting their porches with blue bulbs and tying blue ribbons around trees.
The post was soon shared on several Foothills-based social media pages, with residents encouraging one another to join in and show their support, especially considering the amount of CPS and RCMP officers residing in the Foothills.
Numerous residents and businesses soon followed suit to contribute to the “blue campaign,” with many also flying flags at half-mast, including the large Canadian flag along Okotoks’ Northridge Drive.
Local municipalities and emergency services also paid tribute, including the Okotoks RCMP detachment, High River/Foothills County Municipal Centre, and both the Okotoks and Foothills County Fire Departments, all of whom lowered their flags to half-mast.
On Tuesday, a formal procession was held as Sgt. Harnett’s body was transferred from the Medical Examiner’s Office to a funeral home, with thousand estimated to have attended both in-person and online.
No formal funeral announcements have yet been made.
Calgary Police Services has also established an email address for those wanting to send condolences to Sgt. Harnett's family: condolences@calgarypolice.ca