Honouring our fallen women

There was a raging snowstorm on March 15, 1989, near Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, when Constable Della Beyak was responding to a call for assistance at a collision. The slow-moving transport truck in front of her was blowing up blinding snow so she edged out to see if she could pass when she tragically collided with the coroner who had just left the scene of the crash. An ambulance that was also leaving the scene then hit the two vehicles from behind.

With just nine months service, the 21-year-old avid figure skater and Ukrainian dancer was killed, making her the first female RCMP officer to die in the line of duty. She had always wanted to be a police officer and studied criminology at the University of Manitoba.

The coroner was also killed and the ambulance driver suffered serious injuries. Beyak was buried in Winnipegosis, Manitoba.

Special Constable Nancy Puttkemery died doing what she loved – flying. The Force's first female pilot, the 34-year-old was living her dream flying around the region and into Canada's north for "K" Division Air Services.

On December 9, 1989, she and Special Constable Vincent Timms were returning to Edmonton, Alberta, in a Cessna 182 after assisting on an operational file in Calgary when heavy snow and low visibility forced them to turn back. While making a turn at low altitude, one of the wings hit a guy wire and the plane fell from the sky, killing both souls on board.

Puttkemery was among the early female pioneers who became police officers with the RCMP when she started training in December 1975. She served in several detachments on general duty until 1986 when she gave up her constable status to become a special constable so she could fly with the RCMP (at the time, pilot positions were limited to the civilian, special constable status). During her posting with Air Services, Puttkemery earned certification on the Cessna 182, the Beaver and the Single and Twin Otters.

Constable Christine Diotte was setting up caution warnings at the scene of a rollover west of Banff, Alberta, during a worsening snowstorm on March 12, 2002, when a vehicle ran out of control on the icy highway hitting her and Constable David Davis

Two doctors, who happened to be driving by, helped to stabilize the pair and both were taken to the hospital in Banff where Diotte died. Her husband, a fellow Mountie, was by her side. Davis suffered serious internal injuries but survived.

Diotte, 35, always dreamed of joining the RCMP and graduated from training in 1996. First posted to Hinton, Alberta, she quickly became part of the community, volunteering with the local Victim Services Unit and leading DARE classes.

At the time of her death, she was posted to Banff Detachment and was Davis' training officer. Just six days after the collision, Davis was taken by ambulance from Calgary to Banff to attend Diotte's funeral. He put on his Red Serge and, although still in extreme pain, stood from his wheelchair and gave his training officer one final salute as she passed by.

Thousands attended the nationally televised funeral of Constable Robin Cameron who, along with Constable Marc Bourdages, was shot following a high-speed chase by a suspect in a domestic dispute near Spiritwood, Saskatchewan, on July 7, 2006.

The two constables died within a day of each other of their wounds in hospital as the tragedy gripped the nation. Cameron, 29, died July 15, 2006, and there was a sea of Red Serge, along with officers from many other emergency services, at her funeral on the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation where she grew up. The local high school now bears her name in memory.

The RCMP had always been part of Cameron's life. Her father and an uncle were both Mounties and she knew at an early age that policing was her future. She faced many challenges along the way but overcame each of them to achieve her dream. Joining the RCMP in July 2001, she was first posted to Beauval, Saskatchewan, and transferred to the Spiritwood Detachment in 2003.

At her funeral, Cameron was described as an inspiration who lived each day to the fullest and had a smile that touched hearts. She was a role model for youth who loved putting on the uniform. Her 11-year-old daughter Shayne, wrote in a letter to her mother read during the service, "… don't worry, Mom. I'll be OK. I know you'll be there for me. You'll see me graduate, have my own kids. And my daughter will be named Robin and know that her grandma was a hero."

The perpetrator was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and the attempted murder of another officer who was also shot but survived her injuries and was a key witness at the 2009 trial. He was sentenced to three life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years, the maximum allowable on all counts.

Constable Chelsey Robinson was searching for an impaired driver shortly before 1 a.m. on June 21, 2010, when she was in a collision with a transport truck near Stony Plain, Alberta. She was critically injured and died shortly after, becoming the fifth female RCMP officer to die in the line of duty.

While only a police officer for seven months, Robinson, 25, had been part of the RCMP for several years at the time of her tragic death. Before going to "Depot" Division for cadet training, she worked for nearly two years in the Forensic Identification Section in Edmonton, Alberta, after studying forensic biology at the University of Toronto.

Among other qualities, she's remembered as an outstanding student and a superior cadet who was always willing to help her troopmates and made a significant contribution to her detachment.

In the early morning hours of April 5, 2016, Constable Sarah Anne Beckett was on duty driving a marked police vehicle. She was patrolling within her detachment area. Another on duty member attempted to stop a vehicle and when that member activated the emergency equipment, the driver of the suspect vehicle failed to stop and ran a red light at a controlled intersection. As the driver did so, Beckett's police car entered the intersection with the right of way. The suspect vehicle struck Beckett's vehicle, killing her instantly. The suspect driver after being found guilty of impaired and dangerous driving causing death was incarcerated for four years and prohibited from driving for five years following release.

Beckett entered training with the RCMP at Depot Division on September 7, 2004. She graduated, and was sworn in as a regular member on February 28, 2005. Upon graduating, she was posted to Port McNeill Detachment. She also served with Westshore Detachment and the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit. At the time of her death, Beckett was serving with the Westshore Detachment and had completed a little more than 11 years of service as a regular member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

On Sunday morning April 19, 2020, Constable Heidi Stevenson was killed in the line of duty while attempting to stop a gunman in Nova Scotia. She bravely and heroically engaged the gunman in a firefight before she was killed.

Stevenson graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Science in 1993. It was also during her time at Acadia that she started a part time job with Campus Safety and Security and her passion for policing was born. Stevenson loved her chosen career. There was no doubt in her mind when she graduated from Acadia that her next step was going to be the RCMP. Stevenson entered training with the RCMP at Depot Division on August 14, 1995. She graduated, and was sworn in as a regular member on February 26, 1996. Upon graduation, she was posted to Halifax County Detachment, Nova Scotia. On May 1, 2003, she was transferred to the Musical Ride, Ottawa, Ontario. On July 28, 2007, she returned to Halifax County Detachment, Nova Scotia, and on August 1, 2017, she was transferred to Enfield Detachment, Nova Scotia, and was serving there at the time of her death. Stevenson had completed 24 years, 2 months of service as a regular member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

On October 18, 2022, while serving and protecting the city of Burnaby, British Columbia, Constable Shaelyn Yang was killed in the line of duty. She was stabbed while conducting a wellness check of a transient individual in a homeless camp.

Yang entered training with the RCMP at Depot Division on June 6, 2019. She graduated, and was sworn in as a regular member on December 2, 2019. Upon graduating, she was posted to Burnaby, British Columbia. Yang was a dedicated police officer and a valued member of the Burnaby RCMP's Police Mental Health Outreach Team. Yang served her community with bravery and compassion, and found value in helping others, especially those experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues. At the time of her death, Yang had completed 2 years, 10 months of service as a regular member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.