SURREY — The city's top cops and volunteers were recognized for their hard work Thursday (Oct. 9) during the Police Officer of the Year Awards at Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel.
Surrey Board of Trade hosted the 18th annual event and former Vancouver Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit was the keynote speaker.
The award winners are:
Police Officer of the Year (Community): Cpl. Allison Douglas
Cpl. Douglas is part of the Surrey Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (SCADA) and has been central to the success the coalition has seen. She has helped plan all four SCADA conferences held in the city and is driven to educate and prevent all forms of domestic abuse.
Police Officer of the Year (Peers): Cpl. Nicole Noonan
Cpl. Noonan has been Acting-Sergeant of the Youth Unit, which has three sub-units beneath it, for nearly 18 months. As well as revamping the program, Noonan has participated in initiatives like Youth Week, Shop with a Cop, Code Blue, Outreach Project and the Think of Me (TOM) Campaign. Many of her coworkers call her “the hardest working member†and she rarely leaves the office on time.
Volunteer of the Year: Linda Stromberg
Cloverdale’s Linda Stromberg has been a Block Watch Captain for 13 years and makes sure her community is safe for her family and neighbours. As well as informing her neighbours of crime issues and prevention tips, she also lets them know of upcoming community events and educational opportunities. Stromberg is also the Board Chair for Surrey Libraries.
Auxiliary Constable of the Year: Auxiliary Constable Karen Summers
Summers has dedicated 22 years to being an Auxiliary Constable and is called the “unsung hero†of the Surrey RCMP Auxiliary Constable program. Since joining the program, she has been a regular volunteer at community events and since has helped mentor new members of the program.
Arnold Silzer Community Policing Initiative Award: Special Constable Susan Caley
Caley spends most of her time with people in the community who need it most: youth and seniors. She helps out in a number of programs including the Peace Arch Geriatric Mental Health, Home Health, District 5 Senior Safety Team, Youth Probation, Big Brothers/Sisters, Code Blue and iSMART just to name a few.
Police and Business Partnership Award: Karen Klein, ICBC Road Safety Co-ordinator
Klein has always attempted to make streets safer by spearheading Joint Forces Operations initiatives. A program she introduced to Surrey in Spring 2013 (Swoop) brought together community police volunteers, Surrey Crime Prevention Society Speed Watch team, Surrey RCMP Traffic members, Auxiliary Constables, Fraser Valley Integrated Road Safety Unit, ICBC Road Safety and city staff to prevent drivers from speeding.
Municipal Employee of the Year Award: Monica Prasad
Prasad has become instrumental in building relationships between the City of Surrey, the RCMP and the community. As well as serving on committees like the Welcoming and Inclusive Committee and the B.C. Law Enforcement Diversity Network, she also works on projects that promote crime prevention like the Stop Bullying film competition and Surrey Steps Up. Prasad is also the chair of the Surrey/Delta Intercultural Council.
Police Team Award: Criminal Collision Investigation Team (CCIT)
The CCIT was created in order to lighten the load on Traffic Services members as well as conducting thorough investigations for victims and their families. This has resulted in the number of fatal and serious injury collisions to decrease by nearly 50 per cent and has led the team to suspects in all but one of their 144 files.