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About the CPS
Our Mission:
"To optimize public safety
in the City of Calgary"
2001 Chief's Awards
On October 24, 2001, Chief Jack Beaton presented the Calgary Police Service's highest award - the Chief's Plaque - to 17 Calgary Police Service members and 10 citizens at the 2001 Chief's Awards.
The Chief's Awards honour police members and citizens for extraordinary courage, hard work, leadership and dedication to improving the quality of life in the community.
The awards, sponsored by PanCanadian Energy Corporation, honour police members and citizens for extraordinary courage, hard work, leadership and dedication to improving the quality of life in the community. This event marked the 11th time the Calgary Police Service has recognized citizens and Service members at the Chief's Awards.
Awards were presented in the following categories:
The Award of Excellence
Constable Wayne Hill ended a successful 25-year career with the Calgary Police Service with five years of exceptional work in the Cultural Resources Unit. As the liaison with Calgary's senior communities, Constable Hill became a sought-after expert in the area of working with seniors. After his retirement, he was named Executive Director of the Alberta Council on Aging.
The author of Police Service to Seniors, Constable Hill developed an interdisciplinary community consultation team to act as a resource to service providers, to provide education to professionals and volunteers who work with seniors, and to share knowledge and expertise with professional peers. He also researched, developed and delivered a comprehensive curriculum for training recruits on the challenges of dealing with an aging society, and developed two fraud-awareness campaigns targetting seniors, including the province-wide Hang Up On Fraud campaign conducted in 1998 and 1999.
This is the first time a retired officer has received a Chief's Award.
In recognition of Constable Hill's exemplary performance throughout his career, and particularly from 1995 to 2000 while assigned the Seniors portfolio of the Cultural Resources Unit, he is being honoured with an Award of Excellence.
During Staff Sergeant George Rocks' seven years as supervisor of the Homicide Unit, it has evolved into one of the most progressive and effective investigative units of the Calgary Police Service. Under his leadership, the unit achieved a 100 per cent clearance rate for the 46 homicides in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and earned the respect of the media, the community and police agencies across Canada. His commitment, innovation and tenacity have resulted in the resolution of numerous investigations.
Staff Sergeant Rocks led the investigation of the delivery of an explosive device to the Office of the Chief of Police. Team members considered and eliminated hundreds of possible suspects and within six months closed in on a suspect in Edmonton, who ultimately pleaded guilty to the offence. Along with solving current homicides, Staff Sergeant Rocks is also dedicated to solving old cases.
In 1994, he reactivated an unsolved case with a high-profile suspect believed to be involved with several brutal sexual assaults and a murder. Staff Sergeant Rocks guided this complex investigation for five years before the suspect was arrested and returned to Calgary to face criminal charges.
For his exemplary performance through diligent and sustained effort, Staff Sergeant Rocks is being honoured with an Award of Excellence.
Staff Sergeant John Middleton-Hope and Sergeant Ted McCauley are each being honoured with an Award of Excellence for their outstanding work in enhancing the Service's ability to deliver ethics training to members.
In the summer of 1998, Staff Sergeant John Middleton-Hope was assigned to the Professional Standards Section, where he conducted research of issues and programs related to ethics in policing and officer conduct. His outstanding work, supplemented by more than 1,500 hours of his own time, led to the development of the Calgary Police Service's Education, Assessment & Intervention Program, designed to systematically identify situations and conduct which may threaten the ethical foundation of the Service. The first of its kind in Canada, this program is assisting the Service in maintaining its high ethical standards.
A key component of the program is comprehensive Service-wide ethics training. Sergeant McCauley redesigned an American ethics training program to put it in a Canadian context and make it relevant to Calgary Police Service officers.
Under the leadership of Sergeant Mona Jorgensen, the Victim Assistance Unit has expanded its services from providing information, support and referrals by phone and mail, to offering a round-the-clock crisis-support team and training on victim assistance issues for the community and across the province. In February 2000, Sergeant Jorgensen created the Victim Assistance Support Team (VAST), 35 specially trained volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day to provide support and reassurance to victims or others traumatized by crime or tragedy.
Sergeant Jorgensen also initiated the Share Your Bear project, which collects stuffed toys for traumatized children. She is a member of the Alberta Victims of Crimes Programs committee, the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse and maintains close contact with dozens of organizations and associations that work with victims of crime or misfortune.
For her exemplary performance through diligent and sustained effort, Sergeant Mona Jorgensen is being honoured with an Award of Excellence.
The Award of Exceptional Recognition
While driving on March 5, 2001, Shantelle Lavallee saw two young men struggling on the sidewalk at the intersection of Temple Drive and 60 Street N.E. After one of the youths ran into an alley with a "silver" object in his hand, the second male started walking toward her vehicle, holding his head. Without thought of her own safety, the elementary school teacher jumped out of the driver's seat, helped the young man into her vehicle and drove to her nearby home.
On arrival she yelled to her husband to call paramedics and police. It was only then that she noticed the 17-year-old had been stabbed in the lower back and head. She reassured him and tried to stop the blood flow from his back. Once he was transported to hospital, it was determined his kidney had been lacerated and he underwent successful emergency surgery. A suspect was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon.
For her selfless humanitarian act, instrumental in saving the life of this youth, Chantelle Lavalle is being honoured with the Award of Exceptional Recognition.
On seeing a lone officer struggling with a man on the ground in the 5900 block of Centre Street South on June 5, 2001, Rick Arnold jumped in to help without hesitation. Even after the officer warned the suspect might have a gun, Arnold aided the officer by holding the suspect's left hand to the pavement as the officer cuffed his right hand - the one the suspect was using to reach into his jacket. Arnold returned to his car when the suspect was handcuffed. Realizing the suspect was continuing to struggle, Arnold returned to assist the officer in getting the man into the police vehicle.
It wasn't until after he'd left the scene and the Calgary Police Service asked local media to help locate this hero, that Arnold learned he'd helped catch a suspect in six bank robberies and one commercial robbery. This was also when he learned the man had been armed with a pellet gun and a large buck knife. If not for Arnold's assistance, the officer could have found himself in a struggle for his life.
For rushing to the aid of an officer without regard for his own safety, Arnold is being honoured with the Award of Exceptional Recognition.
In the early morning of June 15, 2001, EMT student Kris Hutchings and a friend were driving north on 2 Street S.W. near Stephen Avenue Walk when they saw a man bleeding on the street. Hutchings stopped and found the 23-year-old man had been stabbed in the femoral artery of his left leg and was bleeding profusely. Swiftly stemming the bleeding with the victim's jeans, Mr. Hutchings noted a weak pulse and laboured breathing. The victim stopped breathing just as EMS and police arrived. Paramedics were able to resuscitate the man at the scene and then twice more en route to the hospital, where the victim underwent emergency surgery.
The man Hutchings assisted was one of three stabbed in an altercation outside of a downtown nightclub. A man and a woman were later arrested and charged in connection with this incident. Those involved in this investigation say that if Hutchings had not acted quickly to staunch the blood flow, the critically injured man would certainly have died.
For his heroic life-saving actions, Hutchings is being honoured with the Award of Exceptional Recognition.
In the early morning hours of June 21, 2000, Bruce Moulton and Debra Wade were awakened by the screams of a woman in the hallway of the apartment they each live in on Dalton Drive N.W. Moulton went into the hallway to investigate and saw a man dragging a woman by her hair down the hall. Moulton ran towards the man, who released the woman. Meanwhile, Wade emerged from her apartment and when the woman was free, took the victim into her apartment.
The resulting investigation determined the 33-year-old victim had been held hostage and sexually assaulted for 13 hours by a man and his wife in another apartment. She escaped when the suspects ordered her to get them drinks from the kitchen shortly after 1 a.m. Investigators fear the victim may have come to even more harm if not for the quick assistance of Moulton and Wade. The husband and wife were arrested two days later and pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault. Each was sentenced to five years in prison.
Moulton and Wade are being honoured with the Award of Exceptional Recognition for their selfless actions.
Three men who rushed to aid a mugging victim and apprehended the thief are each receiving the Award of Exceptional Recognition for their quick actions on the night of June 25, 2001. Cory Whittingham was standing outside a hotel near 16 Avenue and 19 Street N.E. when he heard a woman yell for help. Seeing a man carrying a purse running across 16 Avenue N.E., Whittingham took up chase.
At the same time Al Hattingh and John Carrizo also heard the yells and ran across traffic after the suspect. When the suspect tried to jump a fence, Mr. Hattingh grabbed hold of the suspect's clothing while Whittingham jumped the fence and captured the suspect. During this struggle, Carrizo called police. Whittingham held the suspect until officers arrived. Once the suspect was in police custody, the woman's purse was returned and search of the suspect turned up two knives.
Alex Molnar, better known as Captain Kirk of the city's only traffic helicopter, has responded to more than 150 calls for assistance from the Calgary Police Service since 1993. In a unique partnership between the Calgary Police Service and Rogers Communications, Captain Kirk has helped police from the sky during his morning and afternoon traffic reports. Some of the incidents he's aided in include tracking stolen cars, locating a missing person, pinpointing the location of an armed man in a field and following suspects in their vehicles.
In radio contact with officers on the ground, Captain Kirk directs police units to the suspect's location, resulting in arrests and charges in many cases. Several other pilots of the traffic helicopter have been involved in the project over the years, but Molnar's commitment to assisting police has made this program a success.
For his dedication to the program, Captain Kirk is being honoured with the Award of Exceptional Recognition.
Combination of Exceptional Recognition and Community Service Awards (family involvement)
United Way Days of Caring
Sergeant Dave Harty spearheaded the year-long United Way Days of Caring 2000 project of building 10 transitional townhouses for homeless families and a family resource centre for the community of Millican-Ogden. The ambitious Days of Caring project was based on the need for affordable transitional housing for Calgary families. Sergeant Harty secured a donation of the land from the City of Calgary and donations of time, materials and skills from various trades people and contractors, resulting in the $1 million project being completed on time and at half the market value price.
His wife, Kim Harty, played an instrumental role in the organization and encouragement of hundreds of volunteers. She created a social environment in which volunteers felt personally rewarded for their contribution to the Days of Caring project. As a member of the project team, Kim also helped create a volunteer data base, made hundreds of phone calls to volunteers, and scheduled the volunteers. She continuously visited the construction site, prepared meals for the volunteers and ensured they had a clean and comfortable trailer for breaks. She also provided valuable assistance in several aspects of the Civic Employees United Way Campaign. She is being honoured with the Award of Exceptional Recognition for her outstanding contribution and efforts in these initiatives.
In addition to the astounding success of the Days of Caring project under Sergeant Harty's leadership, the civic campaign for the United Way, with Sergeant Harty as Chair, topped $300,000 in donations for the first time.
In recognition of his outstanding and sustained volunteer efforts outside of his duties with the Calgary Police Service, Sergeant Harty is being honoured with a Community Service Award. This is his second Chief's Award. He was honoured for an act of bravery in 1985.
Back to School Supply Drive
From the seed of an idea in 1998 to collect school supplies and backpacks for financially disadvantaged children, Sergeant David Ellement has created an annual project collecting supplies for hundreds of school children. Under the Back to School Supply Drive, Calgarians are asked to drop off donations of supplies and backpacks at any Calgary Police Service district office. Now partnered with the Salvation Army, this project - which relies solely on volunteers - ensures the donated goods get to the families and children who need them the most.
Each year Sergeant Ellement and his family gather all of the donations from the drop-off boxes, sort the items and fill the backpacks. The packs are delivered to a variety of organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club, women's shelters and community groups for distribution. For their contribution to the success of this program, Sergeant Ellement's children - Justin, 11, Kristopher, 9, Nicole, 6, and Baeleigh, 3-1/2 received Certificates of Recognition.
For his outstanding and sustained volunteer efforts outside of his duties with the Calgary Police Service, Sergeant David Ellement is being honoured with a Community Service Award.
Back to School Supply Drive
From the seed of an idea in 1998 to collect school supplies and backpacks for financially disadvantaged children, Sergeant David Ellement has created an annual project collecting supplies for hundreds of school children. Under the Back to School Supply Drive, Calgarians are asked to drop off donations of supplies and backpacks at any Calgary Police Service district office. Now partnered with the Salvation Army, this project - which relies solely on volunteers - ensures the donated goods get to the families and children who need them the most.
Each year Sergeant Ellement and his family gather all of the donations from the drop-off boxes, sort the items and fill the backpacks. The packs are delivered to a variety of organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club, women's shelters and community groups for distribution. For their contribution to the success of this program, Sergeant Ellement's children - Justin, 11, Kristopher, 9, Nicole, 6, and Baeleigh, 3-1/2 received
Certificates of Recognition. For his outstanding and sustained volunteer efforts outside of his duties with the Calgary Police Service, Sergeant David Ellement is being honoured with a Community Service Award.
The Community Service Award
For a decade, Constable Paul Hipsey has played an instrumental role in the continuing success of the Canadian Cancer Society's Jail 'n' Bail fundraising event. He is an active member of the organizing committee, offering new ideas to improve the event, recruiting police officers to volunteer personal time to do the "arrests," and coordinating the officers during the event. Constable Hipsey is described as a "very strong representative of how much Calgary police care about the community and how officers get involved" by a Canadian Cancer Society representative.
For his outstanding and sustained volunteer efforts outside of his duties with the Calgary Police Service, Constable Paul Hipsey is being honoured with a Community Service Award.
The Community Policing Award
Constable Neville Wells "is truly an ambassador." These are the words of a former commanding officer in nominating Constable Wells for a Community Policing Award. Born in the West Indies, Constable Wells joined the Calgary Police Service in 1976 and has been assigned to the Africa, Caribbean and the Americas portfolio of the Cultural Resources Unit for seven years.
He has been described as a shining example of what can be achieved through commitment, consistency, dedication and perseverance. Through his work with the African-Canadian and Hispanic communities of Calgary, Constable Wells has significantly improved levels of understanding and cooperation between Service members and those communities. He was the driving force behind establishing the Service's African/Caribbean advisory council and the Hispanic Community advisory council in 1996 - a model that is now being used for other portfolios within the Cultural Resources Unit.
Constable Wells dedicates hours of his own time volunteering on a multitude of community event committees, such as Black History Month, Carifest and Citizenship Court ceremonies.
For his outstanding contribution to improving the quality of life in the community, Constable Wells is being honoured with the Community Policing Award.
Integrity and perseverance characterized Constable Mark Dumont's five-year posting as the officer responsible for the Aboriginal portfolio of the Cultural Resources Unit. From 1995 to 2000, Constable Dumont worked to improve the lives of those he had contact with and the relationship between the Calgary Police Service and the city's Aboriginal communities.
Through several initiatives - including hosting Aboriginal Awareness camps, developing a multicultural crisis management and conflict mediation workshop, and as a committee member of the Aboriginal Justice Council - Constable Dumont enthusiastically tackled the tasks of building bridges of respect, trust and understanding.
For his diligent work to remove barriers and increase cultural understanding between police and Aboriginal communities, Constable Dumont is being recognized with a Community Policing Award.
Constable Gwyn Amat is responsible for developing the valuable Persons with Disabilities portfolio of the Cultural Resources Unit. Appointed to the position in 1998, she focused on improving police awareness and understanding of issues facing persons with disabilities who are involved in the criminal justice system, and on developing crime prevention and safety information to be distributed within those communities. She spearheaded a campaign to improve telephone services within the Service for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment.
Constable Amat also researched and developed changes to police policy on the use of interpreters, revised the recruit training curriculum on interviewing people with disabilities, and secured grants to produce the Service's first crime prevention video, For Safety's Sake. The video addresses concerns of people with disabilities about home safety. Her commitment led her to learn American Sign Language to enhance her ability to communicate with some of the people she worked with in the community.
For her exceptional work to enhance communication and understanding between police and persons with disabilities, Constable Gwyn Amat is being recognized with a Community Policing Award.
In October 1999, recognizing the need to address significant levels of graffiti in Calgary, Constable Marcel Dubois proposed the creation of a Graffiti Intelligence portfolio to be part of the Calgary Police Service's Youth Education and Intervention program. He was soon appointed as the Service's Graffiti Intelligence Co-ordinator. He created the Graffiti Awareness and Abatement Program (GAAP), which operates in partnership with the City of Calgary and involves youth in graffiti prevention services year-round.
In June 2000, he initiated a project to obtain a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle, dubbed the Graffiti Bug, which has become a highly visible symbol of the Calgary Police Service campaign against graffiti. The Beatle is sponsored by Northland Volkswagon and Hyatt Auto Group in Calgary. In addition to delivering countless presentations to school students and organizations on the impact of graffiti on the community, Constable Dubois has developed a database of more than 5,000 images of graffiti that has helped officers solve many related incidents.
For his outstanding dedication to improving the quality of life in Calgary, Constable Dubois is being recognized with a Community Policing Award.
The Award of Valour
On the afternoon of December 14, 2000, the quick actions of four officers diffused a potentially deadly situation and led to the arrest of an armed bank robber outside of a Centre Street North shopping plaza. The bizarre chain of events that ended in the gunpoint arrest began with a report to Crime Stoppers of a pipe bomb at a northwest school. As police attention was focused on this threat - which turned out to be a hoax - a suspect robbed a bank in the 4800 block of Centre Street North, threatening the bank manager with a gun. The red dye pack in the bag of cash exploded when the suspect later opened the bag, making the money virtually useless and covering the suspect with dye. The suspect then proceeded north to another bank, handing the teller a note demanding cash and showing her the gun.
As the teller was in the vault getting the cash, Constable Kelly Campbell entered the bank on an unrelated matter. Without the suspect noticing, the teller motioned to Constable Campbell, indicating a robbery was in progress. The officer returned to her vehicle, called for back-up, and took up position with her partner Constable Andrea Tirrell to contain the scene and keep citizens out of the area. As the suspect began to exit the mall doors, it is believed he heard the police radios and took off running through the mall. Constables Campbell and Tirrell chased him through the mall as he ignored orders to stop. Once outside, the suspect slipped on ice, fell and stood back up facing Constable Campbell with his gun in his hand.
As the two officers faced him, their weapons drawn, the back-up team of Constable Bill McClellan and Constable Rob Bruce arrived. After continued demands for the suspect to drop his gun, he finally complied, was handcuffed and arrested. In addition to charges related to the school bomb threat and the two bank robberies that day, the suspect was charged in six other bank robberies, four other bomb threats, two commercial robberies and several auto thefts.
For their demonstration of initiative, calm and rational thinking in a stressful situation that put their lives at significant risk, Constables Campbell, Tirrell, McClellan and Bruce are each being honoured with an Award of Valour.
The Life Saving Award
The quick and heroic actions of Constable Julien Gagne when he responded to a robbery call at a downtown drug store on Dec. 23, 2000, saved a store employee from harm in a hostage-taking incident. When Constable Gagne arrived at the scene, he was confronted with a man holding at knife-point. The suspect refused to heed Constable Gagne's orders to drop the knife. Seeing the store employee was in imminent danger of death or serious injury, Constable Gagne discharged his firearm, killing the suspect. The store employee escaped uninjured.
In recognition of his outstanding action to save the victim's life, Constable Julien Gagne is being honoured with a Life Saving Award.
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