AT the 39th annual Police Honours Night at Government House, 154 people in law enforcement were recognized for their bravery and dedication.
Police officers throughout the province have shown resilience, adapting to complex and dynamic work environments. On the front lines, officers have partnered with fire departments, B.C. ambulance services and 911 operators to keep communities safe, defuse perilous situations and put the safety of British Columbians ahead of their own.
“Day in and day out, police officers work hard throughout British Columbia to keep our communities, homes and roads safe by preventing crime and responding to a variety of calls for service,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “Over the past two nights, we recognized the brave people serving in police departments throughout our province. Policing is a difficult job, and the pandemic spawned a whole new set of challenges. I want to thank our officers for putting their lives on the line for the safety and security of our communities.”
Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of B.C., and Farnworth presented awards to officers of all ranks from municipal departments and the RCMP for their extraordinary bravery in life-saving incidents, devotion above and beyond the call of duty, and work to make communities safer in British Columbia.
Some of this year’s recipients:
* a team of officers from the RCMP E Division operational strategy branch who developed and delivered a new and innovative format for high school students participating in the Young Women in Public Safety Program;
* a corporal and two constables from the West Coast RCMP marine detachment that performed a search under extreme conditions for a tugboat crew in distress;
* a team of officers from the RCMP major crime section – special projects and Surrey detachment for a gang-related investigation, resulting in the seizure of drugs, firearms and cash;
* a constable from Surrey for exceptional performance during a 30-year investigation of domestic violence;
* a team of officers from the federal serious and organized crime unit at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for exceptional performance during an investigation involving a transnational trafficking network that was importing drugs through YVR (Project E-Pensum), as well as the proceeds of crime investigation that followed;
* a sergeant and two constables from Vancouver who responded to a hotel fire, and searched for and evacuated residents in distress;
* constables from South Coast British Columbia Transit Authority Police Service who pursed an armed suspect who had injured a fellow officer; and
* a sergeant from West Vancouver who sustained severe injuries while tending to a person in distress on a bridge.
“Every person we’ve honoured over the past two nights has demonstrated extraordinary bravery, quick thinking and initiative in different and unpredictable situations,” said Austin. “It was an honour to hear the stories of these brave men and women, who put themselves in jeopardy to ensure the rest of us can live in peace and safety. We thank them for their service and acknowledge all who support them to do such impactful work for the province.”
In all, 45 officers received the award of valour, which is the highest award for a police officer in B.C. It is awarded to police officers who acted for the benefit of others while knowingly placing themselves at substantial risk of death or serious injury. These officers exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, to attempt to save or protect others from harm.
In addition, 109 officers were recognized with honours for meritorious service for exemplary performance that answered the call to service in exceptional ways. It is awarded to police officers who demonstrated that they acted in a manner beyond the call of duty.
Quick Facts:
* This is the first Police Honours Night event held since 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
* Police Honours Night recognizes members of independent municipal police forces, the RCMP, First Nations, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and transit police services who have acted in an exemplary manner.
* More than 9,000 members of these services deliver policing throughout B.C.
* Representatives from the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, the Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police of British Columbia, the RCMP and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s policing and security branch comprise a committee that selected the recipients.
BACKGROUNDER 1
April 18 Police Honours Night award recipients
On April 18, 2023, the following honourees were selected by a committee of representatives from the BC Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s police services division.
AWARDS OF VALOUR:
Columbia Valley Detachment
Const. Andrew Henneberry – rescued a paddle boarder in distress from the Columbia River.
Coquitlam Detachment
Sgt. Melvin Wong (now with Surrey detachment), Const. Jonathan Lesperance (now with Sûreté du Québec), Const. Morgan Nevison, Const. Kamaljit Singh Sall – placed themselves at risk during response to a call of a suicidal man firing an assault rifle.
Golden Detachment
Const. Collin Kavanagh – saved a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge.
Kamloops Detachment
Const. Richard Christy – rescued a suicidal woman from the icy waters of the Thompson River.
Const. Ryan McNamara, Const. Mark Pederson (now retired) – placed themselves at risk while dealing with a man armed with a shotgun.
Merritt Detachment
Cpl. Richard Aird, Const. Derek Bodner, Const. Josh Shaughnessy, Const. Cory Smith – responded to gunshot fired outside the detachment and confronted a man armed with a rifle.
Const. David Feller – rescued a family stranded on the roof of their vehicle in the Coldwater River.
Salmon Arm Detachment
Cpl. Jaimie Leverrier, Const. Daniel Booker (now with J Division St. Stephen detachment), Const. Erwin Goerzen (now retired) – placed themselves at risk while responding to a call of an active shooter in a local church.
Surrey Detachment
Cpl. Shaun Van Breugel – removed an unconscious driver from a burning vehicle.
Const. David Smith (now with Midway detachment), name withheld – pursued two armed suspects involved in a fatal shooting.
AWARDS OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE:
Burnaby Detachment
Sgt. Brett Cunningham (now with professional responsibility unit) – negotiated with and prevented a suicidal man from jumping from a highway overpass.
Const. Karanjit Dulay – apprehended a man attempting to light a gas station on fire.
Castlegar Detachment
Const. Andrew Bachmann (now with Smithers detachment), Const. Scott Lafreniere – saved a suicidal woman armed with a knife.
Critical Incident Program and E Division Air Services Branch
Insp. Glen Fishbook, Special Const. Roger Thomson – developed and put into operation a helicopter human external cargo program, a hoist program, and procurement of a new rotary wing platform (Airbus H145).
E Division Operational Strategy Branch
Insp. Veronica Fox (now with E Division, Office of the Commanding Officer), Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau (now retired), Cpl. Stephen Dunn (now with Federal Serious and Organized Crime Border Integrity), Cpl. Jessica MacLean (now with federal operations support group) – developed and delivered a new, innovative and unique format for high school students participating in the Young Women in Public Safety Program.
Federal Serious and Organized Crime, Financial Integrity Unit
Name withheld – exceptional performance during an investigation into a complex, multimillion-dollar stock-market fraud (Project E-Narcose).
Federal Serious and Organized Crime, Vancouver International Airport
Staff Sgt. Michael Kwan (now with Burnaby detachment), Staff Sgt. Shailven Singh, Cpl. Gregory Miller, Cpl. Kimberley Tipert, name withheld – exceptional performance during an investigation involving a transnational trafficking network that was importing drugs through YVR (Project E-Pensum), as well as the proceeds of crime investigation that followed.
Integrated Homicide Investigation Team
Staff Sgt. Dave Fox, Sgt. Ian Blair (now with international operations), Sgt. Eric Kim, Sgt. Harbir Sangha (now with major crime section – special projects), Cpl. Matthew Wakeling, name withheld – exceptional performance during a high-profile investigation into the murder of a young woman (Project E-Palmetto).
Kelowna Detachment
Cpl. Ryan Law (now with Smithers detachment), Const. Shaun Keyes, Const. Kent Wagner, name withheld – stayed with an injured suspect overnight in freezing conditions at the bottom of a gorge until a high-angle rescue team arrived.
Const. Noemi Duru (now with 100 Mile House detachment), Const. Travis Nicholson – provided life-saving medical aid to an unconscious man suffering from a stab wound to the neck.
Const. Christian Fay (now with Campbell River detachment) – saved a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge.
Lake Country Detachment
Const. Peter Hutt, Const. Allison Wanner (now with Kelowna detachment) – saved a suicidal man armed with a knife.
Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team
Cpl. Luke Johnston (now with K Division) – while off duty, affected the high-risk arrest of a suspect who had attacked members of their family.
Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service
Const. Trevor Doylend – placed himself at risk during the response to a call of a suicidal man firing an assault rifle.
Major Crime Section – Special Projects, and Surrey Detachment
Insp. Jeff Bowerman (now with Upper Fraser Valley regional detachment), Staff Sgt. Robert Kurtz (now with criminal intelligence section), Sgt. Derek Bonner, Sgt. Brian Sprott, Const. Kristina Jasmins – concluded an investigation into a gang-related shooting that resulted in the seizure of drugs, firearms and cash.
Merritt Detachment
Const. Dane Duford, name withheld – assisted in the rescue of a family stranded on the roof of their vehicle in the Coldwater River.
Const. Blake Chursinoff – moved a vehicle with a trapped and unconscious driver away from encroaching flames.
Osoyoos Detachment
Const. Brent Greenfield – saved an unconscious suicidal man from smoke-filled vehicle.
Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional Detachment/Penticton Police Dog Services
Cpl. Jason Goodfellow, Cpl. Kyle Richmond (now with Princeton detachment), Cpl. Scott VanEvery, Const. Ryan Shedden (now with Kelowna detachment) – apprehended an armed woman in a stolen vehicle.
Penticton Police Dog Services
Cpl. Jason Goodfellow – apprehended a suspect armed with an axe.
Ridge Meadows Detachment
Cpl. Saudagar Teja – saved a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge.
South East District Emergency Response Team
Const. Carl Kennedy, Const. Dave Lewis (now with West Shore Detachment), Const. Landon Weekes – provided life-saving medical aid to a suspect.
Surrey Detachment
Const. Michael Jason Lee – exceptional performance during an investigation spanning 30 years of domestic violence.
Trail Detachment
Const. Christopher Channing – provided life-saving medical aid to the victim of a stabbing.
Vernon/North Okanagan Detachment
Const. Kerri Parish (now with Lake Country detachment) – rescued a drowning woman from Okanagan Lake.
Vernon/North Okanagan Police Dog Service
Cpl. Brady Kyle – fought off the effects of bear spray to apprehend a man suffering a mental-health episode.
White Rock Detachment
Cpl. David Brown, Const. Travis Anderson (now with Federal Serious and Organized Crime Pacific Shiprider), Const. Alexander Kwon (now with serious crime unit), name withheld – ensured people were evacuated from the collapsing White Rock Pier during severe weather.
BACKGROUNDER 2
April 19 Police Honours Night award recipients
On April 19, 2023, the following honourees were selected by a committee of representatives from the BC Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s police services division.
AWARDS OF VALOUR:
South Coast British Columbia Transit Authority Police Service
Const. Joshua Harms – continued to pursue an armed suspect who had shot and injured him.
Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service
Chief Officer Deborah Doss-Cody, Sgt. Dale Austinson – attempted to rescue a suicidal woman from a submerged vehicle in the Fraser River.
Vancouver Police Department
Staff Sgt. Christian Galbraith, Const. Matt Conroy, Const. Matt Nalutka – apprehended man armed with a knife from the third-floor balcony of a burning apartment.
Sgt. Desmond Roberts, Const. Ellen Fallis, Const. Alison Loader – responded to a fire in a suite at the Portland Hotel, and then searched for and evacuated residents.
Const. Justin Fraser, Const. Gary Li – placed themselves at risk during a situation involving a man with a knife.
Victoria Police Department
Const. Jeff Mason – extraordinary efforts to stop an erratic driver who had made several high-speed attempts to ram his police vehicle.
West Vancouver Police Department
Sgt. Mark Braithwaite – sustained injuries while attempting to restrain a suicidal man and prevent him from jumping off the Lions Gate Bridge.
Dawson Creek Detachment/Peace Liard Police Dog Services
Sgt. Brian Hromadnik, Sgt. Clay Wurzinger, Const. Raylene Jones – pursued and apprehended an armed suspect who had rammed several police vehicles to attempt to avoid apprehension.
Lower Mainland Integrated Road Safety Unit
Cpl.Trevor Griffith, Const. Greg Leche – rescued a trapped and unresponsive driver from a submerged vehicle.
Port Alberni Detachment
Const. Jesse Gudjonson, name withheld – attempted to rescue a suicidal man from icy waters.
West Coast Marine Detachment
Cpl. John Stringer, Const. Tony Eeftink, Const. Marcel Midlane – searched under extreme conditions for the missing crew of a tug that had sunk in Gardner Channel.
AWARDS OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE:
Delta Police Department
Const. Christopher Bond, Const. Mason Woods, name withheld – placed themselves at risk while dealing with a woman who had started a fire in her suite and was armed with a knife.
Name withheld – prevented an injured driver from drowning after their vehicle had overturned and was partially submerged in the Fraser River.
Saanich Police Department
Sgt. Tara Jefferson – rescued a suicidal woman from drowning in Prospect Lake.
Const. Lindsay Blackett, Const. Shelley Eddy, Const. Aaron Grewal – saved a suicidal youth from jumping off the roof of a parkade.
Const. Joseph Lerhe, Const. Maksym Vartanov, Const. Ashley Williams, name withheld – saved a suicidal man who attempted to jump off the Swan Lake Trestle.
Const. Vicky Roy, Const. Mikhail Smirnov – saved a suicidal youth from jumping off a highway overpass.
South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service
Const. Thomas Clarkson (now with Surrey Police Service), Const. Chris Elvidge, name withheld – pursued an armed suspect who had shot and injured a fellow officer.
Vancouver Police Department
Supt. Lisa Byrne, Insp. Mike Heard, Insp. Phil Heard, Insp. Dale Weidman, Staff Sgt. Shane Aitken, Staff Sgt. James Hamade, Staff Sgt. Dennis Wong, Sgt. Ryan Campbell, Sgt. Rob Faoro (now retired), Sgt. Chris Tang, Const. Jacky Lam, Det. Const. Ed Russell (now retired) – concluded a double homicide investigation where a third family member had been kidnapped and tortured while being held hostage.
Sgt. Ali Gailus, Sgt. Aly Smith – placed themselves at risk while dealing with a man armed with a knife.
Const. David Gooderham – pulled a fellow officer suffering from stab wounds away from an ongoing threat and provide life-saving measures.
Houston Detachment
Const. Steve Bruce, Const. Ryan Creasey (now with Penticton detachment) – entered a burning property to apprehend an armed man.
Prince Rupert Detachment
Sgt. Wenda Leask, Const. Matthew Jones (now with New Denver detachment) – negotiated with and prevented a suicidal man from jumping from a bridge.
Quadra Island Detachment
Sgt. Christopher Voller (now with Campbell River detachment), Const. Victor Chapman (now with Nanaimo Detachment), Const. John Fraser – searched through difficult terrain for a suicidal man.
Terrace Detachment
Cpl. Dean Perrin (now with Williams Lake detachment) – used exceptional judgment during a situation involving a victim suffering from a gunshot wound and a shooter at large.
Cpl. Joshua Smith (now with Williams Lake detachment) – placed himself at risk after a vehicle explosion to pull an ejected driver to safety and administer first aid.
West Shore Detachment
Sgt. Ralph Lea, Const. Grant Mackay – pursued and apprehended a suspect with a firearm.
