François Riou, a Châteauguay police officer specializing in road safety, recently retired following 34 years of service; a career he describes as “beautiful and full”.
Translation Amanda Bennett
It’s as though I’d only worked for three weeks,” said Mr. Riou in an interview. “It went by so quickly. But that’s what happens when you’re passionate.”
The officer worked his last shift on December 14th, 2023. To cap off his career in style, he gave away 6/49 lottery tickets to motorists, a concept inspired by another police officer from the Montéégie region.
The newly retired officer began his career on February 5th, 1990, wearing the Léry police uniform, a police force that amalgamated with the Châteauguay police force in 2000.
In his early days, he took part in major events such as flooding in Châteauguay and the ice storm in 1998.
Since 2007, he has been a full-time traffic officer with the Châteauguay police force.
Road traffic
François Riou had to set himself apart to work permanently on road traffic, a passion he’d had since high school.
In 2006, he set up a pilot project to train a traffic squad for the Châteauguay police force.
The following year, the city of Châteauguay made his project official. As a result, he became a permanent traffic officer.
With the help of his team, Mr. Riou recalled that in 2014 or 2016, he received a letter from the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
It stated that thanks to the work of the police officers assigned to traffic, there had been a significant drop in accidents, which had led to lower insurance premiums for drivers in the Châteauguay area.
It was a drop of about 45%,” said Mr. Riou. Of course, the number of accidents will never be zero, but it was a marked drop. It was never pleasant when there were accidents with injuries and deaths.”
“If only because I was able to save a life, my mission to protect and serve the public has been fulfilled,” he concluded.