“I’ve always wanted to be a police officer. It’s one of those ‘kid’ things,” admitted Bill Davidson.
Many of his personal friends and family members are serving officers with police services in Toronto, Halton Region, or the RCMP. “They’ve got the stories,” he said, and he’s always been an interested listener.
Davidson also had a job in medical engineering that was just as satisfying: developing delivery systems for new medications, to maximize their benefit to patients.
“I’m helping people,” he explained. “I’ve got a passion for what I do.”
It was in 2013 that Davidson found a way to combine his passion for helping people with his life-long interest in policing.
South Simcoe Police held a Citizens’ Police Academy, introducing residents to the various aspects of policing. “That’s the one that really triggered me to do more. It really opened my eyes as to what I wanted to do,” Davidson said.
In 2015, a result of that introduction, Davidson became a Civilian Volunteer with the South Simcoe Police Service, providing support for police initiatives at community events.
It wasn't enough. “I wanted to get on and do more,” Davidson said.
For three years, he applied to become an Auxiliary Police Officer with the South Simcoe Police, taking it up a notch - and last year, he was accepted into the Auxiliary program.
Auxiliaries are volunteers, who undergo extensive police training and agree to provide a minimum of at least 12 hours per month, unpaid, assisting police officers with their duties.
He used to travel too frequently as part of his job to make the commitment possible. “Now that my current role has changed, I don’t have to travel the world,” Davidson said, noting that his company supports employees who want to serve their communities.
“They’re always for the community.”
And that’s why, at the age of 55, Davidson became an Auxiliary Officer with South Simcoe Police, with the blessing of his employer.
As an Auxiliary Officer and a volunteer, he can reach out and “contribute to the local community where I live,” Davidson said. It’s a role that allows him to explain policing to his fellow residents, engage the public and share information, educate, and act “as an advocate and an ambassador" for the police service.
“It’s the community engagement,” he said. “Being an ambassador for the South Simcoe Police Service.”
While the role of an Auxiliary Officer is defined by the Police Act, “I’m not an enforcement officer,” Davidson noted - just a citizen, assisting the police. “Volunteering in a program like this, it allows me to have fun, it allows me to experience my passion for policing – as well as helping people.”
At age 55, becoming a police officer was no longer a realistic dream – but becoming a volunteer Auxiliary Officer and giving back to the community was a reality that Davidson was more than happy to embrace.
“I am an extrovert. I’ve got to do something, but it’s got to be meaningful!” he said. “The volunteer thing for me is really the passionate piece.”
