David Hierlihy

Divisions Served: “F,” “E”

Medals & Honours: Long Service Medal

Pillar Location: Pillar IX, Row 16, Column E

Story: 

David grew up in Deep River, Ontario and signed an engagement document June 18^th, 1968 in Ottawa before travelling to “Depot” in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Dave was a private and confidential man who took great pride in his work and in being an RCMP member.  As a family we felt left out at times, but we learned to understand that Dave took his career seriously and was committed to the job and dedicated to the force.

Dave and I, Karen (Miller) Hierlihy, met and after a short courtship we were married in Yorkton, SK in 1972 and remained there for around a year prior to being transferred to British Columbia.  We settled in BC and remained until a serious infection took his life in late 2009.  David, a father of two, had a son, Darin, and a daughter, Andria, who each now have a daughter and son of their own.  His time in retirement and as a grandfather was cut far too short as he lived to meet his daughter’s children but unfortunately passed prior to the birth of Darin’s children.

David was a very dedicated member and I, for obvious reasons, do not know much about his day to day work.  As such I have relied on details shared from his former commanding officers, other RCMP members, and from the public to really understand what kind of a police officer he was. 

Sergeant In Charge:

“‘Corporal Hierlihy is a high achiever, has strong, positive work desires of the subordinate roles to ensure they reach their highest possible level of excellence.  Cpl. Hierlihy has a strong, highly motivated desire to ensure the professional development and well being of the constables, not only from the traffic section, but the Detachment as a whole.  He gives consistent guidance, assistance, and direction.  He is an excellent listener, observes and measures problem situations and has developed all of the subordinate roles, through direct involvement and consultation with them, to their maximum working output.  He ensures they all have the required training. Cpl. Hierlihy is a ‘hands on’ supervisor who consistently leads by example in both operational and administrative areas of responsibility.  This member’s dedication to the Force and motivation on the job is one of the highest calibres I have seen during my 25 plus years  of service.  Cpl. Hierlihy’s presentation of evidence before the Provincial Courts is both credible and professional. He has an excellent working relationship with the sitting Judges, Justice of the Peace, and Crown Counsel and is highly reported on by them. I have received phone calls from the Kamloops Air Show Committee and the Canada Games Committee who have both, highly reported on and been impressed by Cpl. Hierlihy’s interpersonal skills because he had contributed a vast amount of personal time, energy, and advice to their organizations.”                   

Junior Constable:

“I immediately came under the wing of Cpl. Hierlihy.  He not only took me under his wing, he grabbed me and clipped my feathers.  To put a meaning to this, he scrutinized and commented on every (almost every) piece of work which I handed in to him.  In doing so, he discussed with me the method in which I may have handled a specific situation and other methods which may have proven more satisfactory.  This led to a lot of positive feedback from both my part and his.  I would consider Cpl. Hierlihy to be one of the most influential members of this Detachment.  I think the bottom line to this discussion is that I have learned a great deal through both Cpl. Hierlihy’s methods of teaching and influence.”

Chief of Skeetchestn Indian Band:

“I was sad to hear that you are leaving the rural branch to take up a new position with the City Detachment.  As I told you the other day in our office, the level of trust between the Band and the RCMP is much higher now than ever before, thanks in large part to your efforts.  I particularly recall your presence at our reserve during the June flooding of 1990. We wish you well in your future endeavours.”

BScN Student, Cariboo College:

“Our Nursing students needed information about safety factors for our community assessment project regarding Pinantan Lake.  Cpl. Hierlihy was most helpful. I am writing because we were very impressed with his “people skills”.  We have been studying group dynamics in another class so it was “a plus” to see effective leadership in action.  He didn’t tell them what to do; rather, he challenged them to look within themselves while clearly defining the role of the RCMP as the community deals with the problems of living in a semi-isolated area.  The meeting ended on a very optimistic note with many volunteers coming forward to be part of a liaison group with the RCMP.  It was good public relations and an effective process was put in motion.  I know that logistically it would not be possible but as part of their training it would be educational if the RCMP trainees could spend a week around someone as effective as Cpl. Hierlihy.  We appreciated his time and interest.”

Superintendent / Friend: (Part of the Tribute at his funeral)

“Dave was a social person who enjoyed that camaraderie of fellow RCMP Vets and many others in the community.  In his capacity as Cpl. i/c of Kamloops Highway Patrol, Dave endured many snide and demeaning remarks.  Many members considered the Highway Patrol a lesser posting and in fact many poor performers ended up on HP.  That didn’t deter Dave.  He considered poor performance likely came about as the result of poor training.  His aim was to teach, monitor and improve the performance of every member under his command.  As a result of Dave’s initiatives, performance improved and complaints against the HP became non existent.  Because of Dave’s initiatives he was frequently called upon to give courses to members from the entire Province on the law surrounding traffic enforcement, its application and expected results.  He is often chosen to quality review fatal MVA’s over other senior NCOs due to his vast experience and knowledge.  He was also involved in teaching members the art of ‘high speed pursuit’.  I always liked to review the Personnel Assessments submitted by Dave on his subordinates.  I found them to be succinct, descriptive, and supportive.  Dave knew how to encourage and improve the performance of members working with him.  After retirement Dave didn’t stop his activities in the police sphere.  He joined the RCMP Veteran’s Association and always played an active role in the Vet’s activities.  He and Karen hosted several RCMP Vet’s BBQs and he held the position of Treasurer for a number of years.  During the time I have known Dave he has been supportive, provocative and always there if needed.  Dave, thank you for being my friend!”

In closing, Dave was a very caring person.  He even looked after checking on our next-door neighbor Pat who lived alone, was a senior citizen, and had a physical disability.  He did whatever he had to in order to ensure she was looked after.  He organized homecare, cut the lawn, and checked on her daily over a morning coffee.  Pat, and another elderly neighbor, Harold, were over for countless BBQs and when they could not come to our place Dave would deliver meals to them at home.  Dave and Harold even went as far as to build a “3-property pitch and putt” golf course through the connected back yards and you can bet that a countless number of family, friends, members, and veterans enjoyed the reasonable fees and hospitality of a round of golf on that little course.  Heck, they might have even enjoyed a free apple, plum or beverage found along the way.  Worked into the green fees of course!

All in all Dave was a good person, son, brother, husband, father, friend, neighbor, and policeman.   We miss you, we love you!