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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 17, 2015 | 12 IndyCar racer on track as honourary Halton officer by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff He's the mayor of his own online community, Hinchtown. He is an ordained minister who presided over the wedding of fellow driver Charlie Kimball. And now he has a new title -- Constable Hinchcliffe. Despite all the hats he wears, James Hinchcliffe is still best known as an IndyCar driver. But last Friday night, he became the first honorary officer of the Halton Regional Police Service. In his new role, Hinchcliffe will serve as an ambassador for the police, starting with its Stay on Track program, which will promote pedestrian and road safety. "It really is ironic that one person, the one Oakville native, who speeds for a living will be our spokesperson," said Chief Stephen Tanner. Tanner and Hinchcliffe met at last year's Honda Indy in Toronto. He said there was a connection between race drivers and police officers, with both professions assuming inherited risk in the performance of their job. The two discussed working together in the future, then got together over the Christmas holidays to discuss some initiatives they could work on together. Road safety was identified as an area that was both important to the public and tied into Hinchcliffe profession. And though the chief pointed to the irony of Oakville native and four-time IndyCar winner James Hinchcliffe, right, was made an honourary Halton Regional Police officer by Chief Stephen Tanner, left, at the fourth annual Halton Heroes gala held at the Burlington Convention Centre last Friday. Hinchcliffe's honourary badge -- the first bestowed by Halton police -- is part of the local `Stay on Track' campaign to enhance pedestrian and road safety in Halton. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) a guy who drives fast for a living as a road safety ambassador, Hinchcliffe said it really is a good fit. "I've hit a lot of things. And I can promise you, you don't want to do that," the four-time IndyCar winner said with his trademark humour. There was an element of truth to it though; he missed most of his fifth IndyCar season recovering from injuries sustained in a crash in practice for the Indy 500 in May. Hinchcliffe said racing satisfies his need to drive fast and racing in a controlled environment is much different than driving on the streets. "I get made fun of a lot because I'm actually a very boring driver on the road," the 28-year-old said. Tanner presented Hinchcliffe with a Halton police badge to kick off Friday's 4th Annual Halton Heroes Gala, which raises money to support the families of officers injured or killed in the line of duty. The autographed racing fire suit Hinchcliffe donated for the live auction brought in $2,000 for the cause. More than $461,000 has now been raised for the trust fund since it was established. "I can certainly understand the need for this sort of event and the funds that are raised here. Unfortunately, we had an incident where we lost a member of our own community recently," he said referring to the death of driver Justin Wilson last month, "and so this is hits very close to home right now." Both Tanner hinted at Hinchcliffe getting involved in future initiatives, like an antibullying campaign. "Although police do play an important role in creating and maintaining a safe community, we by no means do that alone. As a valued member of our community, James will play a vital role in helping to ensure that Halton is even safer tomorrow than it is today." "Everything Chief Tanner said fits in with what I want to do," Hinchcliffe said. "It's a chance to give back to the community that gave me so much." 2015 Diamond Award winner Since 1967 Fortunately, the hearing instruments of today bear no resemblance to those produced even 5 years ago. Research to improve the quality and naturalness of sound has resulted in digital instruments that perform up to patient expectations. If you haven't listened to a hearing aid in the last 3 years, come in for a TEST DRIVE* and prepare to be amazed! "The Alta has a 97% overall patient satisfaction rating!" · *No obligation TEST DRIVE (wear hearing aids for 2 weeks without paying for them to experience the benefit in your daily life) · Government grants available, WSIB, VAC, ADP and private insurance plans. 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