To serve and puppet: Winnipeg ventriloquist cop retires

Every cop needs a partner, and for Winnipeg police officer Dave Dixon, it was a dummy.

After 31 years with the Winnipeg Police Service, Dixon the ventriloquist cop is retiring. That means bidding farewell to his partner-in-stopping-crime, dummy "Sgt. Willie."

"Mixed emotions," Dixon said about retiring. "I enjoy coming in, I'm so proud of putting on the uniform. But I'm sad too. It's my last day, it's 30 years.

"Policing as a career is incredible. Challenging, interesting, you get to work in different areas. But then there's the other emotional piece to it and it can take its toll at times."

To help bring some light to the darker times, Sergeant Willie was born. Dixon started learning how to be a ventriloquist in the early '90s as a hobby. When his co-workers found out, he was encouraged to incorporate his new skills and his new partner to help kids learn about safety.

"I had a custom-made uniform tailored for him, little patches, little pants. And I developed safety routines."

The duo gave safety talks at schools across the city to thousands of students of all ages.

"It got to the point where it would be assembly-style," Dixon said. 

"Sometimes the kids would say 'Sgt. Willie is here,' and they would go and run tell all their friends and swarm around. It was all about him, I always joked. What about me?"

Dixon created Sgt. Willie's personality, including making him a 10-year-old boy, who was silly, liked to tease Dixon and have fun, but always in a safe manner.

The act with Sgt. Willie was a way to introduce children to the police in a positive way, said Dixon, and it allowed him to explore his passion.

"I've taken a hobby and I'm getting paid to do this hobby, but also as a police officer, the kids they look up to police officers… that's the one thing I'm going to miss, it's standing in front of an audience as a police officer."

The pair's last performance was at Dixon's retirement party, in front of his colleagues. "I was nervous. This was for peers and I'm usually performing for family and kids," said Dixon. "But I knew that as I looked at him as we were doing the last bit of dialogue … it just dawned on me 'This is it.'"

After Dixon's retirement party Sgt. Willie was safely tucked behind glass at the police museum at the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters.  

The public is able to go visit Sgt. Willie, and Dixon said he will too.

"I like to walk so I'll go have a look at him. I'm just so proud… it's something I've created that was well-received."