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CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATION AND CERTIFICATE OF MERIT
2015 AWARD CEREMONY
CERTIFIC ATE OF MERIT CHIEF CONSTABLE UNIT CITATIONS CHIEF CONSTABLE‘S
COMMENDATIONS CERTIFIC ATE OF MERIT CHIEF CONSTABLE UNIT CITATIONS
CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATIONS CERTIFIC ATE OF MERIT CHIEF CONSTABLE
UNIT CITATIONS CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATIONS CERTIFIC ATE OF MERIT
CHIEF CONSTABLE UNIT CITATIONS CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATIONS
CERTIFICATES OF MERIT
MS. CARLA SOREGAROLI
MR. KYLE HUGHES
On the morning of December 7, 2012, a 37-year-old
man turned into a predator. He would later tell police
that he was out to hunt humans. But this “human
hunter” made sure that he only went after prey who
couldn’t fight back.
His first victim was an elderly Asian woman. After
causing her serious injuries he moved on, and within
20 minutes had attacked two other women, aged 79
and 63. He punched them in the face and kicked them
in the head when they were down.
He might well have got away with it and gone on to
attack others if it were not for the intervention of
horrified witnesses.
Carla Soregaroli and Kyle Hughes saw the assaults
from their cars. Hughes left his car, approached the
man and yelled at him to stop. The man came after
Hughes, shouting that he had a gun. Hughes backed
off and called police.
Soregaroli saw the man kick a woman’s head like a
soccer ball. She too called police. Ignoring her own
safety, she approached the man screaming at him
to stop. At first she followed him, keeping police
informed of his location, but then she turned back to
help the victims. Both witnesses helped police find the
assailant, who was arrested and charged with three
counts of aggravated assault.
For their willingness to get involved to save other
people from a vicious attack, Carla Soregaroli and
Kyle Hughes are awarded the Vancouver Police
Board’s highest award for civilian bravery, the
Certificate of Merit.
MR. CORY WONG
The world can be a scary place for a child, but on
September 3, 2013, for 12-year-old Cory Wong and
his little sister, it became truly terrifying.
Cory was at home babysitting his nine-year-old sister
Natalie while his parents were at work. About 2 p.m.,
a man started to break in to the house. He banged on
the front door and then went around to bang on the
back door. The children were scared, but then things
got worse.
The man started to climb through an open bedroom
window. Cory was already calling his mother. Natalie
screamed. Cory took the phone that he had in his
hand and smashed it down repeatedly on the intruder’s
head. The man fled, leaving his ball cap behind. It
would ultimately reveal DNA evidence for purposes of
identification.
Cory’s mom called 9-1-1 and police arrived minutes
later to find both children terrified and armed with
sticks in case the man came back. Cory was able to give
police a helpful description of the man.
For showing courage well beyond his years and bravely
protecting his little sister, Cory Wong is awarded the
Vancouver Police Board’s highest award for civilian
bravery, the Certificate of Merit.
MR. ROBERT ASQUITH
MR. HOWARD CARLEY
MS. LYNN GILLON
MR. NEIL GILLON
MS. STEPHANIE GILMOUR
MS. NATALIE MOON
MR. LORNE PEDDERSON
As the man smashed his fist again and again onto his
neighbour’s apartment door, he had no way of knowing
whether anyone was home and if his bloody rampage
could begin. Then, the door opened.
It had been a peaceful evening on January 31st, 2013,
when the resident opened the door to see what all the
noise was about. She was met by crazed man who
instantly shoved a knife into her. Her wounds were
graphic and life-threatening.
Her roommate, Natalie Moon, came out to see her
friend being slashed and stabbed. The man turned
his attack on her. Despite being viciously stabbed, she
wrestled his knife away.
A third roommate, Stephanie Gilmour, after initially
retreating to a room to save herself, gathered her
courage, determined that she would not leave her friends
to die. The man who had lost his weapon had left. She
took hold of Natalie and helped her to the bedroom. But
the man came back. This time he had a hammer.
As he smashed through glass panels, Stephanie guided
Natalie to the bathroom. But he used his hammer to
smash that door as well. Frustrated that he couldn’t get
to them, the man went back to his first victim. Even
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CERTIFICATES OF MERIT
though she was still bleeding from her many stab
wounds and writhing in pain, he began beating her
with the hammer.
the wheel and attempted to wrestle the bus to the
curb. But the wheel would not budge. He jammed his
foot onto the brake, hoping that would work.
The screams and the pounding were bringing
neighbours out of their apartments. Robert Asquith
confronted the man. He was punched in the face, but
by diverting the man’s attention, he most likely saved
the victim’s life.
He had no way of knowing, as he had no prior
knowledge or experience with coach buses.
Lynn and Neil Gillon also came to the rescue and were
beaten with the hammer. Their selfless actions saved
Robert Asquith from further injury.
They in turn were saved by another neighbour, Lorne
Pedderson, who was smashed in the face with the
hammer. As police arrived, the man fled deeper into
the building.
Howard Carley was attacked when he emerged from
his suite, but he managed to pin the man to the floor
and hold him for police.
The brake held, bringing the bus to a stop right before
it entered the busy intersection.
For his brave and immediate actions that certainly
saved many others from crashes and injuries, Joginder
Johal is awarded the Vancouver Police Board’s highest
award for civilian bravery, the Certificate of Merit.
MR. MARC LEVESQUE
MR. JASON MACMILLAN
The threat of death comes in many forms, often when
you least expect it. In the early morning hours of
March 10, 2013, it snuck up behind a young woman.
Five people went to hospital that evening with serious
injuries after being senselessly attacked by a man with
no apparent motive. Today, seven people are being
recognized for their bravery.
The woman was standing at the counter at a
convenience store when suddenly she experienced a
warm feeling on her body and saw blood. She was
being stabbed in the head and the neck by a deranged
man.
For their selfless actions in the face of grave danger,
Robert Asquith, Howard Carley, Lynn and Neil
Gillon, Stephanie Gilmour, Natalie Moon, and Lorne
Pedderson are awarded the Vancouver Police Board’s
highest award for civilian bravery, the Certificate of
Merit.
She tried to break free, believing that she was being
murdered. Another customer in the store, Jason
MacMillan, witnessed the stabbing and wrestled the
attacker away from her. He pinned the man to the
ground and got the knife away from him.
MR. JOGINDER JOHAL
Fear can be a terrible thing; it can either paralyze you
in the face of great danger or send you blindly into the
abyss.
Luckily for Joginder Johal and all around him, it put
him squarely in the driver’s seat.
On June 15, 2013, about 9:00 a.m., a group was
boarding a bus for a day-trip to Harrison. All of a
sudden, the parking brake released, sending the bus
careening backwards down a steep hill while the
driver stood outside. An elderly woman who was
trying to board was knocked down and died from her
injuries.
As the bus picked up speed, heading for a busy street,
Joginder Johal jumped into the driver’s seat, grabbed
Marc Levesque was passing by when he witnessed the
drama through the store window. He rushed inside to
help hold the man for police.
The frantic woman was now outside the store bleeding
profusely from several wounds. Other passers-by
rushed to her aid using napkins and paper towels from
the store.
The woman was rushed to hospital for surgery and
survived the attack. The man who was arrested had
no explanation for why he did it.
For their quick and decisive actions that may well
have stopped a critical attack from turning fatal,
Marc Levesque and Jason MacMillan are awarded the
Vancouver Police Board’s highest award for civilian
bravery, the Certificate of Merit.
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CERTIFICATES OF MERIT
MR. NICHOLAS GUDMUNDSON
When the police Gang Enforcement Unit goes on
its Bar Watch patrol in Vancouver’s Entertainment
District, they are literally looking for trouble. On
November 17, 2013, in a nightclub on Granville Street,
they found it.
The Police Officers from combined gang units entered
the Caprice Nightclub and were checking several
males, when one constable was suddenly attacked
by a man who tackled him around the waist, driving
him backward across the dance floor. In a matter
of seconds that constable was separated from his
colleagues and fighting a lone battle.
Two officers rushed to his aid, but in the process one
of them was attacked from behind by a man who
punched him viciously in the face and head.
he had filled his pockets with heavy rocks. He stood
up, walked to the edge of the dock and jumped into
the water.
Morris Dorie ran over immediately and saw the man
face down and unconscious in the water. Without
hesitating, he also jumped into the frigid water and
tried to rescue him. Louis-Frederick St. Germain saw
the struggle and quickly dove in to help. Together they
were able to pull the man to safety.
The elderly man was in serious condition, but he was
taken to hospital and survived.
For their quick and selfless actions that put their own
safety at risk to save the life of another, Morris Dorie
and Louis-Frederick St. Germain are awarded the
Vancouver Police Board’s highest award for civilian
bravery, the Certificate of Merit.
While the majority of the nightclub crowd stood by
and watched, a civilian emerged from the crowd and
with no regard for his personal safety came to the aid
of the officer under attack.
MR. CALEB JOHNSON
Nicholas Gudmundson grabbed the attacker from
behind, pulled him off the police officer and subdued
him. He then held the attacker at bay until the
situation was under control, delivered him to a
member of the security staff and gave a report to the
police.
On the evening of January 31, 2014, the routine of
security guard Caleb Johnson was shattered by the
sounds of a fight and the screams of a man who had
just been stabbed in the stomach by two attackers.
Because of his quick and selfless actions, Nicholas
Gudmundson prevented further injury to a police
officer and supplied vital evidence that allowed police
to identify and arrest the man for aggravated assault.
Nicholas Gudmundson is awarded the Vancouver
Police Board’s highest award for civilian bravery, the
Certificate of Merit.
MR. MORRIS DORIE
MR. LOUIS-FREDERICK ST. GERMAIN
IT WAS NO DAY AT THE BEACH.
Morris Dorie and Louis-Frederick St. Germain were
sitting on a bench enjoying the view at Crab Beach
Park on January 15, 2014, when their day took a turn
for the worse.
They were unaware that on a nearby bench an
83-year-old man was planning to kill himself.
Distraught with news of a serious medical condition,
Some say that the job of a security guard is filled with
hours of boredom, broken up by moments of panic.
He yelled at the men, who were about 30 feet away
from the entrance to the store where he worked,
but they continued to attack the victim. Without
hesitation, he ran over and pushed the pair off the
injured man. He held one of them against the wall as
the other ran off. Then the second man wrestled free
and ran. He gave chase, but had to stop when his duty
belt broke and fell to the ground.
He called 9-1-1 and gave police at the scene key
witness information.
His observations and intervention disrupted a violent
attack and prevented further serious injury to the
victim. Doctors would later say that the stab wound
was three centimetres away from being fatal.
For his brave and decisive actions to put his own
safety at risk to prevent further harm to another
person, Caleb Johnson is awarded the Vancouver
Police Board’s highest award for civilian bravery, the
Certificate of Merit.
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SPECIAL CHIEF CONSTABLE’S CITATION
This citation has been given out only once before in recognition of outstanding commitment to civic duty. It is the
Chief’s highest award.
ARMY, NAVY AND AIRFORCE VETERANS
TAURUS UNIT 298
In 1948, Vancouver Police Officer Ray Slattery, a
Royal Canadian Air Force veteran, wanted to do
something for Vancouver Police members who had
been discharged from the military after World War II.
His vision was to start a social club where they would
always feel welcome and supported.
The club also contributes to housing in the Downtown
Eastside, for veterans and other residents, and
supports George Derby Centre and Brock Fahrni
Centre, residential care facilities for veterans. As well,
they play a leading role in the planning of the South
Memorial Park Remembrance Day Services.
On May 5, 1948, Taurus Unit #298 of the Army,
Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada was created
with the purchase of some land and the construction
of a building at East 23rd Avenue and Main Street in
Vancouver. The required funding was raised through
dues paid by VPD police officers.
In grateful recognition of their outstanding
commitment to the community, Canadian veterans
and Vancouver police members, the following officials
of Taurus Unit #298 are awarded the Vancouver Police
Department’s highest award for civic duty, the Chief
Constable’s Citation:
To this day, the building still stands as a welcoming
oasis of fellowship for veterans, police officers and the
community. Sometimes referred to as The Cop Club,
it continues to have strong ties with the Vancouver
Police Department.
President Ian Sinclair, First Vice President Eric
Borglund, Second Vice President Mary Frazer,
Secretary Treasurer Grant Thompson, Recording
Secretary Byrne Turner, and Executives-at-Large Peter
Seiersen and Mike MacDonald and Past President
Andy Perrie.
Recently, club officials and members voted to increase
that tie and make sure that the main asset of the club,
the land, would always be a part of the Vancouver
Police family as the charter members had intended.
In a move of extraordinary generosity that showed
commitment to the Vancouver Police and its vision
of making Vancouver Canada’s safest major city, the
property has been transferred to the Vancouver Police
Foundation. While the club continues to operate, its
legacy and endowment will contribute to community
programs that enhance public safety and benefit atrisk youth for years to come.
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CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATION
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE RYAN SMITH
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE PAUL WOODCOCK
CONSTABLE BRIAN CHERNOFF
CONSTABLE GRAEME WELLS
No one heard him. No one saw him.
A cry for help in the middle of the night and an icy,
heart-stopping plunge into dark waters turned into a
rescue for both the woman in distress and the police
officers who came to save her.
In the early hours of April 12, 1999, a shadowy figure
crept to the back door of a house on St. George Street
in Vancouver and quietly began to barricade the exit.
Then he slipped around to the front porch and poured
gasoline in four different spots, including the front
door, which he then set on fire.
Inside the house, Nicholas Cortner would be awakened by the smoke and the flames. Terrified, he ran
for the back door. In his panic, pushing against the
blocked exit he would suck in the fumes that would
kill him. His roommate, Alexander Conto, suffered
the same fate, but died in bed.
For ten years the murderer was able to stay in the
shadows. The house fire was initially deemed to be
accidental and the file was closed. But then one day
in 2007, someone came forward who claimed the fire
had been set and he knew who did it.
But finding the proof that could eventually convict the
killer in court would still be a massive task. It fell to a
group of VPD homicide investigators. The two leaders were Detective Constables Ryan Smith and Paul
Woodcock.
For two years, the investigators of Project Resurrect
used a number of techniques, including an undercover
operation and wiretaps to expose the killer. They
got their man, and in June 2012, he was convicted of
manslaughter and arson.
For their persistence and tenacity in their unrelenting
efforts to bring some measure of closure and justice
for the families of Nicholas Cortner and Alexander
Conto, Detective Constables Ryan Smith and Paul
Woodcock are awarded the Chief Constable’s Commendation.
About three o’clock in the morning on March 5, 2013,
a distraught young woman made a phone call saying
she was in Stanley Park and was going to hang herself.
When Constables Brian Chernoff and Graeme Wells
arrived, they found the woman hanging from the seawall railing just below the Brockton Point Lighthouse.
They immediately jumped over the fence and cut
the rope. Bringing the uncooperative woman back
to safety wasn’t going to be easy. Struggling up the
steeply sloped and slippery sea wall, the two constables lost their footing trying to get the struggling
woman over the railing. The trio then tumbled 20 feet,
plunging into the ocean below. They were immediately
submerged in ten feet of frigid water.
Once the constables regained their footing on underwater rocks, their ordeal was far from over. The
officers had to use force to restrain the woman from
swimming out into deeper water. An attempt to climb
the steep seawall was impossible, so now all three had
to wait for rescue while standing in thigh-deep freezing water.
For more than 20 minutes they stood, shivering in the
cold. Police threw blankets down. The constables gave
theirs to the woman. When rescue came in the form
of a fire ladder, the constables insisted that the woman
receive medical attention first.
For their selfless efforts and heroic actions, Constables
Brian Chernoff and Graeme Wells are awarded the
Chief Constable’s Commendation.
SERGEANT HAL HAMILTON
SPECIAL CONSTABLE EVELYN PEDERSON
There are old school detectives who may still claim
that solving a murder is more of an art than a science,
but today it takes science to win a conviction.
It was the incredible science and hard work of two
Vancouver Police members, Sergeant Hal Hamilton
and Special Constable Evelyn Pederson, who solved
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CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATION
the brutal murder of Marc Rozen in 2004 and gave the
judge the evidence he needed to put the killer away for
life.
When Sergeant Hamilton was first called to the victim’s
apartment, he encountered the most horrific murder
scene he had ever observed. The victim had been killed
with multiple stab and gunshot wounds in a fight that
ranged over every room. During the next seven days, he
would produce 650 photographs and three videos. He
collected 170 exhibits, including 68 footwear, barefoot
or sock foot impressions. Nine years later, in court, that
careful and detailed work would tie the killer to the
scene.
But his work didn’t end at the crime scene. Over the
years he searched for matches to the footprints and
combed footwear data banks. When a suspect was
identified, he met with Crown Counsel staff to carefully
explain the value of his evidence, and then for seven
days he expertly testified on the stand.
His testimony was supported by that of Special Constable Pederson, a firearms analyst who examined six
bullets and a cartridge case found at the scene. She was
able to tie the bullets to two guns found with the suspect. But her job got tougher when she was told that the
defence team had an expert witness who would challenge her methods and her science.
Undaunted, she prepared a massive response to support
the validity of the science, including more than 200
reference citations and case citations. She spent three
days on the witness stand with testimony so convincing
and compelling that the defence decided not to call their
expert after all.
For their diligence, commitment and expertise that sent
a brutal killer to prison, Sergeant Hal Hamilton and
Special Constable Evelyn Pederson are awarded the
Chief Constable’s Commendation.
CONSTABLE CRAIG LOOK
It was neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night that
kept this courier from his appointed rounds; it was a
crazed woman with a large knife.
On the morning of April 25, 2013, 9-1-1 received
multiple calls about a woman who was attacking her
roommates with a knife. The operator told the caller to
get out of the house. She left the house and stood on the
lawn while another roommate locked herself safely in
her room.
Meanwhile, unaware of the deadly drama inside, a
postman was walking up to the house to deliver the
mail. The roommate tried to warn him off, but it was
too late. The screaming woman opened the door and
lunged at him with the knife.
He turned and ran with the woman at his heels. The
roommate who witnessed this later told police, “I
didn’t know she could run that fast. I couldn’t have
believed the mailman could run that fast.”
As he ran, the courier spotted another man in the
street and tried to warn him away, but that man was
Constable Craig Look who was the first to respond to
the 9-1-1 call. He told the mailman to get behind him,
shielding him with his body from the attacker.
The woman was still closing in, but Constable Look
had his firearm pointed at her, yelling at her repeatedly
to stop and drop the knife. She did neither. He fired
twice.
The woman survived her injuries and was taken to
hospital for treatment.
For his quick actions that saved a man from certain
injury or worse, Constable Craig Look is awarded the
Chief Constable’s Commendation.
CONSTABLE PAUL KEMP
CONSTABLE SAM PRIMERANO
There are times when police face a person so determined to harm himself that the best outcome you can
hope for is that no one else is harmed in the process.
On November 13, 2012, police received a call to assist
paramedics. When Constable Sam Primerano arrived,
he discovered a disturbing and frightening scene. Ambulance and Fire Service personnel were confronted by
a man armed with a knife who had already inflicted
wounds to his neck and was now holding the knife to
his stomach.
In an effort to save the man’s life, Constable Primerano called for a unit with less lethal options. Constable
Paul Kemp arrived with a Taser, but his first shot was
rendered ineffective by the man’s heavy coat. As Constable Primerano urged the man to drop the knife, he
instead thrust it deep into his abdomen.
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CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATION
Both constables placed themselves within range of the
man’s weapon, risking their own lives to save his, but
he plunged the knife through his own neck. Constable
Kemp, desperate to save the man’s life, fired his Taser
a second time. This time the shot worked and the man
dropped to the ground.
on doors. In all, they helped more than 20 people to
escape.
For their quick and courageous actions that put the
safety of the building’s residents above their own,
Constables Jeff Fletcher and Andre Haaksma are
awarded the Chief Constable’s Commendation.
Constable Kemp accompanied the man to the hospital
in the ambulance, but all efforts to preserve his life
failed.
CONSTABLE CHAD MCRAE
For risking their own lives to protect those of other
first responders and a distraught man, Constables
Paul Kemp and Sam Primerano are awarded the Chief
Constable’s Commendation.
The murder was cold, calculated and brutal. The
victim was a loner, impaired and of simple mind. The
killer was a vicious street enforcer, who preyed on the
weak and appeared to have got away with it scot-free.
CONSTABLE JEFF FLETCHER
CONSTABLE ANDRE HAAKSMA
In 2008, the victim, a quiet man who kept to himself,
was at home in his apartment when the killer bludgeoned him to death and stole what little he had of
value. Police found a partial print and a DNA sample
at the scene, but could find no match in data banks.
In the early morning hours of August 1, 2013, police were called to a single room occupancy hotel to
respond to a domestic dispute. What they found was
far worse.
Even though the dispute was over by the time they
arrived, Constables Jeff Fletcher and Andre Haaksma
decided to investigate further when they heard that
bear spray had been used. Concerned for the other
residents, they climbed to the second floor where the
air was still heavy with toxic fumes.
Their first instincts may well have been to retreat
immediately from the stinging residue of bear spray,
but then they heard banging, shouting and crashing
coming from around the corner. Unaware of what
lay ahead, they advanced towards the noise to find a
hysterical man in front of a fire in the hallway. They
handcuffed the man and passed him to another officer,
but now they were facing a fire that was waist-high
and filling the corridor with smoke. To their horror,
they also saw a propane gas bottle beside the flames.
Constable Fletcher jumped around the fire and began
to bang on residents’ doors, getting at least six of them
to leave. Constable Haaksma found a water hose in
the stairwell, but it would not reach, so he smashed
out a panel to get to an extinguisher. The fire was now
at head-height.
Keeping low, he shot the extinguisher successfully
at the base of the fire, but now thick, black smoke
and white particulate from the extinguisher engulfed
him. In the chaos, he joined his partner in banging
For a year, the case was unsolved and turning cold. In
the end, it wouldn’t be CSI techs and teams of homicide detectives who would crack the case -- it would
be a good street cop using good old-fashioned police
work.
Constable Chad McRae is a police officer who takes
pride in getting to know the people on his beat, especially the marginalized. He would often buy them
coffee on a cold night, a Slurpee on a hot day, and an
occasional cigarette.
It was that rapport and trust that prompted a person
on his beat to tell him she knew who committed the
murder. The name she gave was familiar to Constable
McRae; it was the name of a street enforcer who had
inflicted a reign of terror on the locals -- burning
houses, shaving girls’ heads, and stabbing and killing.
For years, people were too afraid to speak out, but
Constable McRae, through his own efforts of building
trust, had broken through that fear.
At the request of the homicide detectives, he obtained
cast-off DNA from the suspect that eventually led to a
conviction for manslaughter.
For his outstanding police skills, his demonstrated
compassion for the vulnerable people on his beat and
for solving a murder that might well have gone unpunished, Constable Chad McRae is awarded the Chief
Constable’s Commendation.
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CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATION
ACTING SERGEANT MARK LOBEL
CONSTABLE MARINA TRENKEL
CONSTABLE JENNIFER WEBER
Trying to save the life of a suicidal man who doesn’t
want to be saved is seldom easy, but on the night of
November 14, 2013, for three Vancouver Police officers, it became a literal bloodbath with their own lives
at risk.
When Acting Sergeant Mark Lobel and Constables
Marina Trenkel and Jennifer Weber responded to a
call of a suicidal male, they were met by a hysterical
woman covered in blood, who said her husband was
in the tub possibly armed with a knife. While one officer ushered her away, the other two confronted the
man who refused to reveal whether he was armed.
Then the man suddenly stood up, bleeding profusely
from self-inflicted wounds and shouting at police.
Acting Sergeant Lobel fired the beanbag shotgun in
an effort to subdue him, but the man shrugged it off,
charged at the officers, and the struggle was on.
Now covered in blood, the three fell out into the
hallway. The man punched one officer multiple times
in the face and made at least five grabs for his firearm.
It took all three officers to eventually subdue him,
but not until the walls, the floor and the officers were
all drenched in blood. The officers, one of whom got
blood in his mouth, required extensive decontamination.
For their brave actions that clearly prevented the death
of a suicidal man and prevented the disarming and
possible loss of life of one or more police officers,
Acting Sergeant Mark Lobel and Constables Marina
Trenkel and Jennifer Weber are awarded the Chief
Constable’s Commendation.
CONSTABLE SIMON CRACKNELL
CONSTABLE DARREN TELENKO
Police are no strangers to violence and mayhem, but
the scene that greeted Constables Simon Cracknell
and Darren Telenko on the morning of April 14, 2014,
will rank among the most gruesome and macabre ever
reported.
They were responding to a call of domestic violence,
where a neighbour in an apartment building heard a
child crying and a male yelling. She said she saw blood
in the hallway.
When police arrived and the elevator door opened on
the third floor, they saw a woman lying in a pool of
blood who appeared to be dead, a screaming injured
two-year-old, and a blood-covered man coming at
them with a knife.
Constable Cracknell tried to stop the man with his
baton, but repeated strikes were ineffective. Constable
Telenko realized that the only way he could stop the
attack on the woman and child was to use deadly
force. He fired three shots that caused the man to drop
the knife, and allowed the officers to get him to the
floor and handcuff him.
Constable Cracknell picked up the child and rushed
her down three flights to the ambulance. As he did,
he cleared her airway and encouraged her to open her
eyes and talk. She had been stabbed in the head and
face 16 times.
But it was too late to help the woman, who was the
child’s grandmother. She had been stabbed more than
100 times and her wounds were fatal.
For their heroic and decisive actions, that without
doubt saved the life of a two-year-old child, Constables Simon Cracknell and Darren Telenko are awarded
the Chief Constable’s Commendation.
CONSTABLE TREVOR KINE
The sight of a hooded, masked man running down the
street with a gun in his hand will stir the blood of any
police officer -- even if they’re off-duty.
On August 1, 2014, at about 5 p.m., off-duty Constable Trevor Kine, driving in his personal vehicle, spotted a man he believed was about to commit a crime.
He stopped his car, and turned around to attempt to
capture the man, but before he could, he saw the man
commit an armed robbery at a pharmacy, then rush
back to his waiting getaway car and driver.
Constable Kine followed the pair, all the while phoning in a description and location, as the suspects drove
in a reckless manner trying to escape.
When they headed down a dead end street, Constable
Kine saw his opportunity. Without consideration for
his personal safety, he used his own car to disable
theirs, causing their airbags to deploy and temporarily incapacitate the driver. But the man with the gun
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CHIEF CONSTABLE’S COMMENDATION
got out and ran. Constable Kine started to pursue, but
wisely stopped when the man turned his gun on him.
He returned to watch the driver until on-duty police
arrived. The gunman was caught as he attempted to
flee the area.
For his heroic efforts and detailed descriptions that
took two violent offenders off the street without injury
to the public, Constable Trevor Kine is awarded the
Chief Constable’s Commendation.
CONSTABLE ALI GAILUS
The sight of swinging batons, screaming protestors
and clouds of tear gas has become a common ending for many protests in cities across North America.
When protestors occupied Oppenheimer Park in July
2014 many believed this encampment would end the
same way. The fact that it didn’t was in part due to the
extraordinary efforts of one officer, Constable Alison
Gailus.
What started with two tents on July 17th was the
beginning of a three month encampment that grew
to 240 tents. Policing the protest to ensure the safety
of everyone involved became very challenging as the
encampment was populated by the homeless, drug addicted, mentally ill, drug dealers and street entrenched
criminals. Violence and crime were daily threats and
the potential for tragedy was real and constant.
As the homeless outreach and SRO liaison officer for
the VPD, Constable Gailus played a key role in helping to bring the protest to a peaceful end. From the
beginning she approached the protest leadership in a
respectful and helpful manner. She built relationships
and trust among everyone involved including all city
agencies. Those relationships allowed her to consistently provide the most accurate and timely information from the park.
Her communication skills and diplomacy along with
her calm, professional demeanour served to diffuse
the frequent tensions and conflicts in the park. Vancouver Fire Chief John McKearney would later say
that her strategic insight and relationship with many
of the campers created the greatest ability for all of us
to be successful in our mission. The mission ended on
October 16th when police peacefully cleared the park
with no violence, no injuries and no tear gas.
under the most daunting circumstances, Constable Ali
Gailus is awarded the Chief Constable’s Commendation.
SERGEANT MATTHEW BLACK
CONSTABLE MARK BRADSHAW
CONSTABLE ANNE-MARIE CLARK
CONSTABLE JENNIFER OBUCK
CONSTABLE RYAN RIDDALL
Police officers are used to life and death calls but on
July 24, 2013 they were called to an extraordinary
incident where life and impending death were incredibly, only minutes apart.
It was dark and close to midnight when police found
a mentally ill woman who was having a psychotic episode while giving birth to twins in a downtown park.
During and after giving birth the woman was screaming at police and staggering around the park.
Officers saw that she was holding one baby that was
still attached to her by the umbilical cord. She was refusing any help from police or ambulance attendants.
She was in obvious pain and was suffering contractions as she stood and delivered a second baby.
As she clutched the two tiny babies to her chest police
knew that if the cords were torn that the mother and/
or the babies could bleed to death. The woman was
hysterical and began holding the babies by their heads
and squeezing. The babies were being crushed and
smothered and suddenly stopped crying and went
silent.
The officers had to act quickly. They managed to
safely wrestle the babies away without harming them
or the mother. All three were rushed to hospital. Both
babies were premature but the 4 pound 2 ounce baby
girl and the 3 pound 8 ounce baby boy survived.
For their quick thinking and decisive actions that
saved the lives of these two infants, Sergeant Matthew
Black and Constables Mark Bradshaw, Anne-Marie
Clark, Jennifer Obuck, and Ryan Riddall are awarded
the Chief Constable’s Commendation.
For her exceptional efforts in preserving the peace
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CHIEF CONSTABLE UNIT CITATIONS
CONSTABLE PETER HOOPER
CONSTABLE PAUL KEMP
CONSTABLE MARK MANN
CONSTABLE TREVOR SKATES
CONSTABLE RYAN YOUNG
It is sometimes the role of a police officer to make
sense of chaos, a frenetic scene that calls for officers to
be hunters one minute and caregivers the next.
It was that type of chaos that greeted five Vancouver
police constables on January 31st, 2013, when a man
went on a bloody rampage, stabbing residents in his
apartment building and hitting others with a hammer.
When they first arrived at the building, police could
see the man but could not get to him because of a
locked security gate. They could also see one of his
victims lying bleeding on the ground. They tried to
force the gate, but a resident threw down some keys.
With pistols and a Taser drawn, they formed a pod to
hunt for the man. They passed victims lying injured
and bleeding. Their sense of urgency increased when
they saw more blood on the floors and walls of the
building. They were keenly aware that this armed and
dangerous man could be waiting for them around
every corner. The hunt led them over three floors of
the building.
On the second floor they saw their quarry fighting
with a resident. They moved in and arrested him.
Once they had cleared the building for any other
suspects, they quickly began to offer care and
assistance to the victims.
One officer accompanied a victim to hospital and
stayed with her. Another stayed with a resident who
was unhurt, but traumatized.
For their high professional ability to quickly shift
from tactical to investigative mode, as well as
demonstrating caring and compassion, the following
officers are awarded the Chief Constable’s Unit
Citation: Constables Peter Hooper, Paul Kemp, Mark
Mann, Trevor Skates, and Ryan Young.
SUPERINTENDENT MIKE PORTEOUS
INSPECTOR BRAD DESMARAIS
SERGEANT ROB FAORO
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE MIKE KIM
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE BESNIK DOBRECI
CONSTABLE KYLE DAVIES
CONSTABLE BRODIE HAUPT
CONSTABLE SHARON HUNTER
CONSTABLE STEVEN POWELL
CONSTABLE BYRON TAGUIAM
CONSTABLE MIKE WHEELER
CONSTABLE LISA WU
CRIME ANALYST PEGGY IRWIN
PROJECT ASSISTANT CATHERINE DRIVER
When we think of tyrants, it is the thought of third
world countries, banana republics and war-torn
backwaters that first come to mind. We don’t think it
could ever happen here.
But in 2011, many residents of the Downtown Eastside
knew better. They were being terrorized by a ruthless
tyrant who ran an organization that supplied drugs
and ensured payment with violence, head-shavings,
fear and intimidation.
With violence at this level, it called for a special
response. A team of investigators, patrol officers
and civilian members of the Vancouver Police came
together, and Project Rescue was born.
In a complex six-month operation involving a variety
of police tactics, officers infiltrated the gang at the
highest level and were able to link the street-level drug
dealers and enforcers to the group’s leaders. Project
Rescue would culminate in a series of simultaneous
search warrants, vehicle stops and arrests, including
those of the leaders and underbosses.
The leader was convicted and received a ten-year
sentence, along with another sentence of seven years
for a manslaughter conviction. Four of his underbosses
received a total of 20 years.
For their dedication and commitment that removed a
deadly scourge from our city, the following members
of the Project Rescue team are awarded the Chief
Constable’s Unit Citation: Superintendent Mike
Porteous, Inspector Brad Desmarais, Sergeant Rob
Faoro, Detective Constables Kyle Davies and Besnik
Dobreci, Constables Brodie Haupt, Sharon Hunter,
Mike Kim, Steven Powell, Byron Taguiam, Mike
Wheeler and Lisa Wu, Crime Analyst Peggy Irwin and
Project Assistant Catherine Driver.
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CHIEF CONSTABLE UNIT CITATION
SERGEANT RICHARD AKIN
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE BRENDA BURRIDGE
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE KATE CAPRARIE
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE JIM FISHER
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE ADAM KING
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE COLIN MCLACHLAN
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE DAVIE MOE
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE ROBIN SHOOK
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE KATHLEEN TCHANG
DETECTIVE CONSTABLE NANCY YINGLING
CRIME ANALYST LINH RIDDICK
INVESTIGATIVE ASSISTANT ANDREA FLEMING
VICTIM SUPPORT WORKER SHANNON GUIBOCHE
Among all the heinous crimes, human trafficking of
young girls into forced sexual slavery ranks among
the worst. But while the law against such activities has
existed for a while, there has never been a conviction
for it outside of Ontario or Quebec. Beginning in
February 2011, that would change.
That was when the Vancouver Police Department’s
Counter Exploitation Unit began a three-and-a-halfyear investigation into an operation that was forcing
young girls and young women into prostitution.
Their investigation revealed a man who was forcefully
recruiting girls as young as 14, burning them with
cigarettes to control them with fear, moving them
between cities to keep them isolated and drugaddicted, and forcing them to service several clients a
day, seven days a week.
Over the years, the Unit developed rapport and
trust with the victims, executed six separate search
warrants, obtained hundreds of credit card and
banking records, and conducted more than 30
interviews with family and witnesses.
Their efforts and dedication led them to a bawdy
house, where they were able to free some victims and
arrest the man who was their pimp.
Eventually he was convicted on 29 counts involving
a total of 11 victims, ranging in age from 14 to 19
years old. He would also be convicted on a charge of
trafficking a person, a first in B.C.
For their extraordinary dedication, the following
members of the Counter Exploitation Unit are
awarded the Chief Constable’s Unit Citation:
Sergeant Richard Akin, Detective Constables Brenda
Burridge, Kate Caprarie, Jim Fisher, Adam King,
Colin McLachlan, David Moe, Robin Shook, Kathleen
Tchang and Nancy Yingling, Crime Analyst Linh
Riddick, Investigative Assistant Andrea Fleming and
Victim Support Worker Shannon Guiboche.
VANCOUVER POLICE PIPE BAND
PIPE MAJOR CAL DAVIS
PIPE STAFF SERGEANT SANDY MARSHALL
PIPE SERGEANT BOB MURPHIE
PIPE CORPORAL MATT REID
DRUM MAJOR BRUCE EBURNE
DRUM STAFF SERGEANT SCOTT VALLANCE
DRUM SERGEANT ED WAGSTAFF
CONSTABLE DAVE CAVEN
CONSTABLE MARK MCEVOY
DAVE ANDERSON
MICHAEL BEECH
JOHN BRIGGS
TREVOR CALDWELL
NOEL CHALMERS
JIM DIPALO
PAT FANNING
TIM FANNING
CAROL FRASER
KATIE FRYE
DAVE GLOVER
DARYL GRAHAM
STUART JOHNSTON
MICHAEL MACNEIL
MIKE MACDONALD
COLIN NICOL
BRIAN POWELL
GLEN RICHARDS
WAYNE ROGERS
CARTER SMITH
BILL SNEDDON
DAN SUTHERLAND
JULIE WINSTANLEY
For more than 100 years, the Vancouver Police Pipe
Band has brought honour and recognition to the
Vancouver Police Department.
In 2014, to celebrate that achievement, the Band
set its sights on what many considered to be an
unattainable goal: to play at the Changing of the
Guard at Buckingham Palace. No non-military band
had ever been permitted to take part in that historic
and traditional ceremony.
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CHIEF CONSTABLE UNIT CITATION
But the Band was determined. Beginning in 2012,
they launched a massive effort to obtain permission,
endorsements and support from various levels of
government in Canada and the United Kingdom. The
bureaucracy involved and the hurdles that needed to
be jumped were tremendous. The Band persevered.
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Finally, in February 2014, the Band received
permission to be the first non-military police pipe
band to play at this royal ceremony in its 350-year
history. They would appear not just once, but four
times.
Now the challenge was to overcome the daunting
logistics. The Vancouver Police Foundation
contributed major funding, and the band members
committed hundreds of volunteer hours to the task.
On the day that the Band marched through the gates
of Buckingham Palace, the pride of the Vancouver
Police Department marched with them.
For demonstrating more than 100 years of exceptional
skill, judgement and dedication to duty, the 34
members of the Vancouver Police Department Pipe
Band are awarded the Chief Constable’s Unit Citation:
Pipe Major Cal Davis, Pipe Staff Sergeant Sandy
Marshall, Pipe Sergeant Bob Murphie, Pipe Corporal
Matt Reid, Drum Major Bruce Eburne, Drum Staff
Sergeant Scott Vallance, Drum Sergeant Ed Wagstaff.
Constable Dave Caven, Constable Mark McEvoy,
Dave Anderson, Michael Beech, John Briggs, Trevor
Caldwell, Noel Chalmers, Jim Dipalo, Pat Fanning,
Tim Fanning, Carol Fraser, Katie Frye, Dave Glover,
Daryl Graham, Stuart Johnston, Michael MacNeil,
Mike MacDonald, Colin Nicol, Brian Powell, Glen
Richards, Wayne Rogers, Carter Smith, Bill Sneddon,
Dan Sutherland, and Julie Winstanley.
Vancouver Police Pipe Band celebrates
100 years by playing the palace
PAGE
Left to right: Drum Major – Retired VPD Sergeant Bruce Eburne, Drummer – Constable Dave Caven, Pipers – Carter Smith and Constable Cal Davis.
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