CPS Member Spotlight On Auxiliary PC J.J. Lehmann
written by JaimeKristal Lott
Though he will deny it, Colonel Jean-Jacques “J.J.” Lehmann is one of the most interesting, and lovely, gentlemen you could ever meet. He was born in Alsace, France shortly before German occupation during the Second World War. Because J.J’s father worked across the Rhine in Germany and his mother had been a victim of the war, J.J. lived with his grandparents while his brother and sister were sent to live with other separate relatives.
J.J. started life speaking Alsatian, a local language no longer much used, but when he began school it was all in German. After the war, J.J’s father fell in love with a French-Canadian Red Cross nurse, and the entire family immigrated to Granby, Quebec. There J.J. learned French of a different sort until his father put him in an English-speaking high school so he could become bilingual (by this time he had forgotten all his German).
Needless to say, between the war and language barriers, J.J. was not a huge fan of the educational system and decided to join the Royal Canadian Navy after graduation rather than going into a post-secondary program. In time he did get his Bachelor of Arts —a general degree with a focus in English, French, and Psychology— but it took him twelve years. Keep in mind, he was quite busy being a plane and helicopter pilot aboard the HMCS Bonaventure aircraft carrier.
By the time he retired, after 30 years of regular service and another seven as a reservist, J.J. reached the rank of Colonel. During this time he was granted the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service by the Chief of the Defence Staff as well as having survived three helicopter crashes —two of which had him somehow in the water when he should have still been in the air. When asked where his favourite place he had been stationed, the answer was at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
Upon leaving the military, Colonel Lehmann took a job as a registrar at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. He held this Federal public service position for another 21 years before retiring from that too. The Colonel moved to Ottawa for a couple of years and then finally decided to settle in Cobourg. By this time, he had already raised two children (a son and daughter he is excessively proud of) and watched two grandchildren grow up as well. What was there left for him to do?
After living his entire life by a strict schedule and never having a place to really call home, retired Colonel Jean-Jacques Lehmann decided it was time to get involved with the community and give back in a meaningful way to the place that welcomed him. Shortly thereafter, he found an advertisement in the local paper where the Chief of Cobourg Police Services (CPS) put out a call looking for Auxiliary Police Constable candidates.
At the age of 80, J.J. was a rookie once more with the title of Auxilliary PC. “I went from a rookie in the military, clawed my way to the middle, and now I’m a rookie again.” To become an auxiliary constable, candidates have to complete a sixteen-week course taking this class one evening per week. After non-stop training with the military, this was no hardship for the retired Colonel and he has now been with CPS for the past three years. Right now, he is acting as a “gatekeeper” for the vaccination clinic ensuring people have appointments, asking the required covid-questions, giving directions and, apparently, trying to convince other retirees they should consider joining Cobourg Police Services as well!
Though he spends much of his time helping at the clinic, Auxiliary PC Lehmann also does patrols around town and calls himself a foot soldier. Patrols can be done on foot, bicycle, segue, or in a cruiser. Being a bike or segue patrolman requires passing a course, and the Colonel said he has not yet qualified to get a segue. As for the cruiser, the first time he got to play with the lights and sirens was upon a request to do a ride by for a little boy’s birthday.
Auxiliary officers also help at events, monitoring traffic for parades, and sometimes getting to take part in them as well. One of these occasions is remembered not entirely fondly: “I had to wear red shoes for a mile or so… it led me to wonder why women wear heels.” His favourite moments as an officer, however, are when helping with the Cram-A-Cruiser program where locals generously donate food and gifts for those in need at Christmastime.
For a man so busy even in retirement, it is no surprise he has a number of hobbies. During much of his time with the military and a few years thereafter, the Colonel participated in over 70 marathons –some of which he was sponsored by the military to be in. He even set a Canadian course record for an Ultramarathon that, as of 2014, had not yet been beaten. Now he enjoys playing golf and reading histories.
Auxiliary PC Lehmann was one of eight (out of 30) picked to join CPS, though all others were closer to half his age. He believes most people become Auxiliary officers as a stepping stone to a future career rather than a way to keep busy after retiring from a past one, but he is proof that it is never too late to join. Though the Colonel is debating possibly retiring, for a third time, in another couple of years it is hard to imagine him ever slowing down.
“I just want to stay as healthy as I can and contribute as much as I can for as long as I can.”