Ridge Meadows RCMP Insp. Aaron Paradis has left the detachment for a new position in with the Surrey RCMP.
Paradis has been promoted to the rank of superintendent in his new role.
He will be remembered locally in part for being comfortable in front of the camera. He played the starring role of The Grinch in a crime prevention video the detachment produced for social media during the Christmas season in 2018. The eight-minute film went viral, viewed over 300,000 times, and won the detachment an award for innovation in crime reduction.
READ ALSO: Ridge Meadows RCMP make Grinchy video
Often the face of the detachment, Paradis conducted a press conference to announce the detachment’s largest ever seizure last month, which included an automatic weapon and more than 72,000 doses of drugs – half of which was fentanyl.
READ ALSO: 35,000 doses of fentanyl part of huge Maple Ridge bust
Pitt Meadows city CAO Mark Roberts noted at Tuesday’s council meeting that Paradis had been the point of contact between his city and the Ridge Meadows detachment for the past year.
“We would like to extend our appreciation to Mr. Paradis for his commitment and contribution to the health and safety of Pitt Meadows, and wish him well in his career at the Surrey detachment,” said Roberts.
The new liaison for Pitt Meadows is Sgt. Michelle Luca, who will be operating from the community police office in Pitt Meadows.
“She has been in the role for only a month, and she is already receiving significant kudos from a variety of people,” said Roberts, calling her responsive and helpful in dealing with issues including a homeless camp and traffic speeding through a neighbourhood.
ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
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