After more than three decades as a police officer – which included being the leading voice in Ontario on highway safety – OPP Sgt. Dave Woodford is retiring.
Woodford began his policing career at age 28.
“I started in a small municipal police force in Cardinal. It was a small three man force, like Mayberry!”
From there he transferred to Napanee before arriving in Aurora where he specialized in highway safety.
Sgt. Woodford has spent too many work days at fatal crashes. But says it’s the days emergency crews were able to save people that he remembers best. One of those days was in 2007 at a crash involving dozens – including a bus carrying 40 people.
“I had to actually get into the bus, used a ladder to climb into the window with the baton and started lowering people out the window.”
Woodford received two awards for his actions that day; one from St. John Ambulance and the other from the OPP.
There have been other days when the foolishness of drivers upset Sgt. Woodford. In 2008, this station was live with him along Highway 400 when drivers started turning around and driving backwards after getting caught behind a crash.
“We’re actually doing something else – handing out ice scrappers and the next thing you know a crash on the road. Cars are stopping, turning around, backing up on the highway – they almost hit us.”
But it’s the people he has helped over the years that he says he will take with him into retirement.
“There was one on the 400 up in the Barrie area when we arrived on scene myself and another officer first on scene and that gentlemen actually called us and thanked us many times for saving his life and that’s rewarding when you know you can do that.”
Even though Sgt. Woodford is calling it a career – there will still be a Woodford policing. Dave’s 22-year-old daughter wants to be a police officer and she graduated from her college policing course on Thursday.
