Scott Slater was 12 years old when his father, a highly respected North Bay police officer, was killed on duty.

It was the first day of December 1973, when Constable Len Slater, a native of Bracebridge, was called to assist another officer who was shot after a domestic dispute escalated outside a North Bay bar.

“My dad was booking another suspect when the call for backup came in,” explained Scott. “He was given the order by his duty sergeant to assist the downed officer and arrived within minutes. He got out of the car, not knowing where the gunman was hiding behind a car in the parking lot.”

As Constable Slater walked by the parked vehicle, the gunman fired a shot, striking him in the back of the head. Slater succumbed to his injuries at an area hospital at the age of 32.

After the second backup police unit arrived, a gun battle ensued and the gunman was shot in the throat and apprehended by officers. He lived through his injuries and was later convicted of non-capital murder in the slaying of Constable Slater and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Thirty-five years later, the North Bay Police Service retired Constable Slater’s badge number and the chief of police presented a plaque to the Slater family to recognize the man as “a hero in life, not death” in conjunction with the force’s 125th anniversary of policing last December. Constable Slater’s name was also added to the cenotaphs in Toronto and Ottawa that honour fallen officers.

“Other officers said for him to risk his own life to aid a wounded fellow officer makes him a hero,” said Scott, noting his father’s comrades admired his skill as a driver. “Many remember him behind the wheel of a cruiser. He was a fair man and didn’t tolerate dishonesty. I recognized as I got older that it took a lot of courage and bravery to do what he did that day.”

Constable Slater was buried in his hometown of Bracebridge after formal police funerals were held in North Bay and Bracebridge.

“It was an experience you wish no one has to go through,” Scott said. “But unfortunately, there are bad people out there and guys like my dad constantly risk their lives to keep the peace.”

Scott, a resident of Gravenhurst, said he often contemplated joining the Ontario Provincial Police auxiliary, and continues to hold a great deal of respect for police officers around the world.

“It was tough growing up without him,” said Scott, the oldest of three children left behind by his father’s untimely passing. “People try to fill in the gap as they can, but there are a lot of gaps and he’s not here today to tell me what a standup job I have done with my life, or to say ‘I’m proud of you’.”

Sharing in the sorrow of Constable Slater’s death were several members of the North Bay Police Service and relatives in the Slater family.

“He was truly loved by a lot of people,” said Scott. “He is thought of often and never forgotten in our family. Nieces and nephews are told about his life, even though it’s hard to talk about it. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him and think about the ultimate sacrifice he made.”