Members of the Chatham-Kent Police Service's Traffic Unit are safer and more efficient thanks to a donation made in memory of a long-time member of the force.
Constable Andrew Gaiswinkler died in July 2018 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
His family later donated $74,000 to the local police force towards the purchase of a new FARO laser scanner in his honour and several family members were also on hand for a demonstration of the newly acquired equipment Monday morning.
Andrew's sister, Monica Gaiswinkler-Easton, said they wanted to do something to make working conditions safer for officers investigating crash scenes and that's why they supported the purchase of the new laser scanner, which will be used for collision reconstruction during traffic investigations.
"My mother had said that she can remember him talking about going out to an accident scene in the middle of the night and still having to be out there halfway through the next day, the road's closed, and how much work it was," said Gaiswinkler-Easton. "When this came up, we knew it was something that Andrew would be extremely pleased with and he would have loved using it."
The donation the family made will also cover other complementary equipment and training costs.
Monday's unveiling was an emotional event for both Andrew's family and the traffic unit, which was fondly referred to as a tight-knit group of officers.
"It's emotional, but we're incredibly honoured that we're able to do something for the police service that will honour Andrew and keep his memory going, but also to assist them to make their jobs so much easier," said Gaiswinkler-Easton.
Chatham-Kent Police Traffic Unit members Sergeant Matt Stezycki and Acting Sergeant Jason Herder were also on hand for Monday's demonstration.
Sergeant Stezycki said the new scanner replaces equipment that is approximately 20 years old and nearing the end of its usefulness. He said the new technology will allow the local police force to clear crash scenes quicker and with more accurate results.
"This resource allows us to be more effective, more efficient, and safer," said Stezycki. "The timeline required to complete the investigation is significantly reduced and the quality of the product that we're producing is improved."
Stezycki said the image that is produced by the scanner is 360-degrees and fully interactive, allowing officers to check and input measurements at a later date, which also helps them to ensure accuracy in case the results of an investigation are later challenged in court.
In keeping with the detail-oriented nature of collision investigations, nothing was overlooked.
The case itself includes Andrew's nickname "Gaisy" and his badge number "6440" -- the numbers at the bottom of the cheque go into even more detail listed below:
- 49 for Andrew's birthday, September 4
- 315 for May 31, when his stem cell transplant started
- 247 for July 24, the day he died
- 06748 for the number of days that Andrew was a police officer
- 22000 for Feb 2000, which is when he started with CKPS
- 72018 for July 2018, the end of his watch
