 Welcome to the Vancouver Police Department's Commendation Ceremony. This event is a very special event for the BPD family, and I'm glad that all of you could join us this morning. Today we celebrate excellence and the achievements of individuals in the community and the sworn and civilian members of the BPD. My name is Simi here, and I'm the Director of Public Affairs with the Vancouver Police Department, and I have the honor of being your host this morning. But now that you are all seated, I'm actually going to ask you to please rise and direct your attention to the back of the room to welcome the Lieutenant Governor of BC and members of the official party. Thank you, please be seated. And thank you to Sergeant Major James Pearson and our Piper Retired Constable Tim Fanning for that. So before we begin, I'd like to take a quick moment to recognize some special guests who have joined us today. Please hold your applause until the introductions are finished. Of course, we are delighted to be joined by her honor, Judith Gishan, Lieutenant Governor of BC. From the Vancouver Police Board, we are joined by Mayor Gregor Robertson, the Chair of the Board, Dr. Sherri McGee, Vice Chair, and Ms. Claire Marshall. From the Vancouver Police Foundation, we are pleased to welcome trustees, Gridley Baines, Randy Cook, Joel DeMarsk, Wendy King, Andrew Latchford, Frank Palmer, and Darcy Ray. And we're also joined by the Executive Director of the Foundation, Martina McOva. From the VPD Executive, we are joined by Chief Constable Adam Palmer, Deputy Chief Constables Howard Chow and Steve Rye, Superintendent's Michelle Davy, Steve Ely, and Marcie Flamande, and Senior Director's Nancy Ng and Jason Roode. I also want to recognize members of the Commendation Board who are here today. Of course, you just met the Chair, Superintendent Steve Ely. We're also joined by Inspectors Vince Forsberg, Ruben Sorge, Glenn Newman, Jim McCartle, and Suzanne Muir. Finally, I would like to extend a big warm welcome to the friends and family members of the recipients of today's awards. So to kick things off, I'll ask Chief Constable Adam Palmer of the VPD to say a few words. Thank you, Simi. Good morning, everybody. Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon, Mayor Robertson, members of the Vancouver Police Department, ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to be here to celebrate and recognize members of the Vancouver Police Department and citizens from our community for their incredible acts of bravery and remarkable service to Vancouver. Placing is a challenging profession, but we're very fortunate here in Vancouver that for the past 132 years, since 1886, we've had such hardworking men and women who dedicate their lives to keeping Vancouver safe. Risking their own personal safety to assist total strangers that they've never met in time of need, but also showing care and compassion and looking out for people who are less fortunate in our society. While our citizens are home sleeping, our officers are out there 24-7, responding to 911 calls, answering calls for service. And in fact, today, as we're standing here, on this Thursday, we'll answer about 700 calls for service here in Vancouver. It's easy in a free society in a safe city like Vancouver to sometimes take that for granted. But I can say that I'm proud of each and every member of the Vancouver Police Department, sworn and civilian for their dedication and commitment and it's great to see the family members here today, which is so crucial, that family support, that love and care behind the scenes to make our members successful. Today, you're gonna be hearing stories about not only the brave men and women from the police department, but also from our community. Citizens that have stepped up, made a difference, under dangerous and difficult situations, and in some cases have saved lives. Also at today's awards ceremony, we're gonna be presenting the 2017 Police Officer of the Year Award, celebrating the achievements of a frontline officer who has made a career of truly going beyond the call and contributed significantly to public safety in our city. And for the second time ever, we're gonna be having a new award, which is the VPD's Civilian Employer of the Year, recognizing outstanding service by one of our fine civilian professionals. Also, we'll be awarding the Community Safety Leader Award for outstanding community service by a member of our community. In closing, I wanna thank the members of the Commendation Committee for all their great work in choosing the recipients and to the Vancouver Police Board for being the final decider on who receives commendations. In closing, I just wanna thank our Public Affairs section, CMU Director and her staff for making this event possible. Thank you everybody and enjoy the day. Thank you, Chief. We're delighted to be able to start today's ceremony with the presentation of a police officer commission. This is a new provincial honor to formally recognize high caliber senior members of municipal police departments and designated policing units for their rank, professionalism and dedication to policing in BC. The police officer commission regulations set out the criteria and qualifications must be met before a commission is issued. They are an exemplary service record with 10 or more years of service in BC, a baccalaureate or master's degree or equivalent, or the rank of inspector or higher for at least four years and a recommendation from a qualifying supervisor or police board. We're very lucky to have the Lieutenant Governor of BC here to present a police commission. I would like to invite her honor to provide a few remarks. Well, good morning, honored recipients, Chief Constable Adam Palmer, your worship, Mayor Robertson, Dr. Sherry McGee, ladies and gentlemen, families and friends. It is always an honor to join the Vancouver Police and especially for ceremonies such as this when we are recognizing officers for their professionalism and dedication to superior service to the people of Vancouver and British Columbia. I would like to begin by acknowledging with respect the wisdom, culture and traditions of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh of the Coast Salish First Nations on whose traditional territory we are privileged to be gathered this morning. Well, it's finally happened. My worst nightmare, I'm speaking after Chief Palmer. This is the first in many, many because he hardly even looks at a note. On the other hand, if I didn't have everything written down, I wouldn't be able to remember my own name once I got up here. Just recently, I listened to a retired Vice Admiral just this week, speak and was so impressed as he spoke about our democracy. And he said that I, as the Lieutenant Governor representing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, represent the history and the evolution of democracy from the Magna Carta over 800 years ago down through the ages. Our institutions and our politicians represent the voice of democracy. But it is those of you who serve on the front lines who represent the action of democracy. And I thought, what a wonderful explanation of how our systems work. He was far more eloquent than that and that was the gist of his comments. And it explains the role of you folks who are on the front lines, the ones who make things happen. You do the very demanding work of democracy. And although it was all very well for me last year, I visited a lot of schools and talked about our constitutional monarchy and how this system works, his short description made it all very clear and outlined so plainly, women in uniform and all of those who support you. You are the action people. The rest of us can talk, debate and pontificate, but when it is all said and done, you are the ones that take the action. You pick up the pieces and you cope with the reality out there in the everyday world. And so I would like to thank all of you folks on the front line. Thank you for carrying on doing the work, the very difficult work out in the community. And we know that through the years, you haven't done this alone. You haven't served on your own. Your partners, families and friends have been there keeping you balanced through the tough assignments and we salute you folks as well, because thank you also for your service. I also want to quickly mention that when I visited all the schools last year, in summing up the schools, I bumped into some of your members and the outreach work that they do with you and your community partners was wonderful. I could see that the relationship that was developing within the schools with the members there was a very special one indeed. So thank you for all the exceptional services and thank you for always making me feel like I am part of your community. Congratulations to all today's honorees. Thank you, Your Honor. Please everyone, join me in congratulating Inspector Mike Purdy. This is our Beyond the Call publication and it lists all of today's award and commendation recipients and it outlines why they are being recognized. So feel free to follow along in the booklet as the ceremony progresses. So today we will present the Jim and Vicky Chu Community Safety Leader Award, four awards of merit, seven chiefs commendations and four chief citations. We will also be recognizing the 2017 Police Officer of the Year and the 2017 Civilian of the Year. A quick note for those of you sharing photos and any other content on social media or hashtag for the event is beyond the call and feel free to take the Vancouver Police Department. Our handle is at Vancouver PD. At this point I'd like to invite Mayor Gregor Robertson, the chair of the Vancouver Police Board to say a few words. Good morning, everyone. Welcome and thank you all for being here. It's wonderful to see a room full of great citizens and heroes and this is one of my favorite days of the year to celebrate all of you who have committed acts of bravery and incredible support for members of our community. We're so lucky to live in this city. First, I want to acknowledge we're on the unceded homelands of Musqueam, Squamish and Slewa to the First Nations and very thankful for their stewardship over the many generations here in this place. We are very privileged to live in a city that's as safe as it is. And when we hear stories of immense tragedy and challenge in other cities and communities around the world, I think it gives us a reminder of how good we have it here. And that doesn't come easy. We can't take that for granted. It is, as Her Honour said, the actions on the front lines of those of you who are first responders, those of you in the police who are charged with that duty and fulfill it so well and also those among us citizens who step up in the face of grave danger in a selfless way and commit these acts of great courage, gifts of bravery to the city that save lives and make sure that our city is one of the safest cities in the world and we keep striving to do better. We keep striving to be the safest of all. Our work isn't done, so it's a day-to-day challenge for us. And this is an important day to celebrate and acknowledge the acts of courage and bravery and selflessness that are so important to making progress as a city and keeping this one of the most livable cities in the world. I'm really privileged to work, well, first of all, to be representing you as your mayor and also to be working as the chair of the police board. We are a civilian oversight board thanks to Dr. Sherry McGee and Claire Marshall who are here from the board. A group of citizens who keep an eye on things. We're very lucky to work with the police department that is incredibly responsible, transparent and accountable for actions and constantly striving to rise up beyond the call and to do better. So to all of those police officers, members of the VPD who do such great service, those who are being honored today, a huge thank you for your incredible contributions and to all of those citizens as well. It's an incredible benefit to the city, the actions that you've taken and looking forward to hearing the stories. This is one of the exciting events where we actually get to hear the backstory as we honor those people. It's great to hear what really happened and imagine how challenging, difficult the circumstances are. So our board is really the link between the VPD and the community. And if you have feedback, if you have concerns, questions, ideas, you can share them with members of the police board. Three of us, as I said, are here. Don't hesitate to touch base with us. We're all about that level of accountability, which is so important in policing and in a democracy, as our Lieutenant Governor said. So we are going to be honoring the Vicky, Jim and Vicky Chu Community Service, our safety leader award. This is a relatively recent award to honor our past police chief, Jim Chu and his wife Vicky, who also served as well. And that was created in 2015 and it recognizes a citizen who has made an outstanding contribution to crime prevention and community safety. And this year, Danny Gelman will be honored with the Jim and Vicky Chu Community Safety Leader Award. So, and when you hear about the work that Danny has done, you'll agree he's a very deserving recipient of this award, incredible service over many years. The board is also honoring ordinary citizens for the extraordinary acts of bravery. The civilian awards of merit recognize citizens when they are in the face of a life-threatening situation, step beyond what anyone might have expected with courageous, selfless and really the human touch in helping to save people from a grave situation. So we just want to make sure that people are honored and recognized for their amazing things, what they do to protect our city. And I just want to encourage everyone to keep striving to keep our city safe. We can't take this for granted. We are lucky to live in a city like Vancouver where we make steady progress on this. We've seen violent crime and property crime decline dramatically over many years now, thanks to the work of the VPD and the many citizens and the many citizens who volunteer their time, not just those who step up in the face of danger, but those who serve and volunteer in our community policing centers, those who support us with emergency preparedness when there is great danger affecting the city, there's many citizens, thousands and thousands of citizens who give their time, their energy and their passion to keeping our city safe and we're ever thankful for that commitment. So the board is honored to be saluting our inspiring heroes. And again, congratulations to all the honorees and let's enjoy the great stories today. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The recipient of the 2017 Jim and Vicky Chu Community Safety Leader Award is Mr. Danny Gellman. Let me tell you a little bit about him. There are many dedicated people working behind the scenes in our city, volunteering their time to make Vancouver safer. Danny Gellman is one of these people. For more than 30 years, he has been making contributions that are truly inspiring. Danny began volunteering with the VPD in the 1980s when he filmed the motorcycle drill team performing at the P&E. He went on to join Citizens Crime Watch and since 1993, he has been involved in the recovery of more than 4,600 stolen vehicles. He has spent thousands of hours volunteering with the Auto Crime Enforcement Unit and has deployed more than 1,600 big cars. In 2010, Danny began volunteering with the Granville Community Policing Center. Over the years, he has led, mentored and inspired more than 80 volunteers. With this positive attitude and cheerful demeanor, he has contributed to remarkable improvements at the Community Policing Center. Danny has also volunteered with ICBC, particularly with its VPD partner programs like SpeedWatch and Auto Crime Controls. And that's not all. Danny also volunteers seven days a week for a minimum of two hours a day with the City of Vancouver's Keep Vancouver Spectacular program. Each week, he collects on average more than 3,000 cigarette butts and 29 bags of litter. The people who work alongside Danny say they can always count on him to show up, give it his all and bring a great attitude with a smile on his face. His love for policing and public safety have clearly been his life's passion. For his efforts in leadership and contributing to the safety and livability of our city, Mr. Danny Gelman is awarded the Jim and Vicki Chu Community Safety Leader Award. Next, we move on to the award of merits. As Mayor Robertson stated, this award is presented by the Vancouver Police Board to citizens who on their own initiative and in the face of actual or anticipated danger have made an attempt at saving a life or have assisted the police in preventing a crime or apprehending or attempting to apprehend an offender. Mayor Robertson and Chief Palmer will be presenting the awards and I'll ask the recipients to please wait until I've finished reading the commendation before coming to the stage. And when you do come up, please come up to my left and then exit to the right. Our first award of merit goes to Mr. Gary Sandu. Seconds after he parked his car in the 2400 block of Willow Street in October 2016, Gary heard someone yelling thief and then stop. He looked up to see a man running towards him, carrying a black bag as another man gave chase. Without hesitation, Gary stepped into the first man's path and attempted to grab him. He was unable to hold on to him, but his intervention caused the thief to drop the bag. Gary handed the bag over to the owner, a jewelry salesman who had been getting into his car when the thief struck. Gary was also able to provide police with useful information about the thief's getaway car. For trying to prevent a thief's getaway, despite not knowing if the thief was armed or violent and for recovering stolen property worth $300,000, Mr. Gary Sandu is awarded the Vancouver Police Board's highest award for civilian bravery, the award of merits. The next award of merit goes to Mr. Nicholas Shaw and Mr. Max Rathburn. Nicholas is not here today, however, Max is here to accept the award. One evening in August, 2014, Nicholas was at home when he heard a commotion in the lane behind his house in the 1700 block of commercial drive. He stepped outside and saw a man standing over an elderly woman who he had just knocked to the ground. Max was driving into the lane with his family when he came upon the crime scene. He saw the unconscious woman on the ground, heard Nicholas call out and saw the attacker flee. He quickly jumped out of his car and joined Nicholas in pursuit of the assailant. The two men caught up to the offender and held on to him until police arrived. The 79-year-old victim suffered considerable facial injuries, including the loss of two teeth. For preventing further injury to a vulnerable person, chasing and capturing a violent offender and holding on to him until police arrived, Mr. Nicholas Shaw and Mr. Max Rathburn are awarded the Vancouver Police Board's highest award for civilian bravery, the award of merits. The next award of merit goes to Ms. Emily Stevens. And her hectic lives, sometimes it can be easy to miss another person's suffering. However, when Emily Stevens was crossing the Granville Street Bridge at the end of a busy day in June 2017, she was drawn to a woman who was in obvious distress. Emily stopped to speak with a woman and very quickly determined that the woman was intending to jump off of the bridge. Emily tried to persuade her to leave the bridge, and when she could not, she called 911. The woman got up on the bridge railing and Emily grabbed a hold of her, struggling to keep her from going over. When two police officers arrived, the woman was halfway over the railing. Despite being seven months pregnant, Emily was still holding on to her with all of her strength. The officers were able to pull the woman back to safety. For trusting her instincts and taking the time to save a woman intent on hurting herself and for putting herself at risk, Emily Stevens is awarded the Vancouver Police Board's highest award for civilian bravery, the award of merits. For the merit goes to Ms. Susan Chambers and Ms. Charlotte Tardy. Charlotte was not able to be here today, however, Susan is here to accept the award. It's hard to know what compels someone to jump into action in a crisis while others may stand by, but a Vancouver woman is alive today thanks to the quick actions of two strangers. It was a warm spring evening in May 2017 at English Bay when Susan and Charlotte noticed a distraught woman enter the water and swim out to about 50 meters. They could see she was in distress and her mental health appeared to be deteriorating. The beach was crowded and people began to call 911. Susan and Charlotte did not hesitate to go into the water after the woman, but helping her back to English Bay Beach was a very difficult task. She did not want to be rescued and struggled all the way back to the shore. Even while waiting on the beach for police to arrive, the struggle continued, but her rescuers were determined from preventing her from re-entering the water. When police arrived, Charlotte acted as a translator as the woman did not speak English. An ambulance took the woman to the hospital to receive the help she needed. For putting their safety at risk to rescue a stranger in obvious need, Ms. Susan Chambers and Charlotte Tardee are awarded the Vancouver Police Board's highest award for civilian bravery, the award of merit. We will now present the Chief Constable's commendations and citations. The Chief Constable's commendations can be awarded to police officers and civilian members of the VPD for demonstrating skill, judgment, dedication, or integrity over the course of a single investigation, operation, or incident, or for demonstrating the highest standards of police conduct or humanitarianism in a single operation, incident, or investigation where there was a high risk or exposure to danger, or for demonstrating over a period of time, exceptional skill, judgment, dedication, or integrity in the performance of duty, or for developing a method or program that has a substantial effect on the operation of the department. The Chief Constable's citations are based on the same criteria for recommendations. However, a citation is awarded to two or more members working together regardless of unit, squad, team, district, section, or division affiliation. The citation recipients can pick up their individual commendations from the reception table at the back of the hall before they leave today. I ask the recipient of the commendations and citations to please wait until I finish reading the commendation before coming up to the stage. On April 14, 2015, Vancouver police officers were called to the 400 block of Gore Street for a report of a man randomly stabbing pedestrians. Constables and Fontaine, Albert Liu, and Greg Parks were the first to arrive. They found an agitated man armed with a knife in an area with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Three people had already been stabbed. Constable Liu used non-lethal beanbag rounds, but to no effect. Constables Park and Fontaine tried to draw the man away from the crowds. When the attacker grabbed another innocent bystander and began repeatedly stabbing her, Constable Parks fired his weapon. Constable Fontaine provided first aid to the innocent bystander until ambulance arrived. The victims suffered life-threatening wounds, but eventually recovered from her physical injuries. For putting themselves directly in harm's way and preventing further injury or death to innocent citizens, Constables and Fontaine, Albert Liu, and Greg Parks are awarded the Chief Constables Commendation. One of the most serious incidents a police officer can face is dealing with someone in a heightened emotional state. Constable Sinda Michael has dedicated herself with dealing with these high-risk situations through crisis negotiations. In her 17 years with the crisis negotiation team, she has attended more than 300 critical incidents and gained a reputation as one of Canada's most accomplished crisis negotiators. She is sought by police agencies from around the world for advice. Constable Michael has been instrumental in developing the VPD's crisis negotiator program and has taught and developed courses at the Canadian Police College. She has been invited to attend the FBI National Negotiator Course in Quantico, Virginia and the UK National Negotiator Course in England. She has spoken at conferences across North America. Constable Michael has also helped develop and teach workshops to psychologists and psychiatrists who provide consultative advice to law enforcement, some as far away as Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. For educating hundreds of officers, negotiators, and medical practitioners in life-saving techniques and making a difference in how police agencies around the world manage difficult and often volatile situations, Constable Cindy Michael is awarded the Chief Constable's Commendation. Many police officers will tell you that the most difficult cases they investigate are those involving harm to children. When Sergeant Michelle Torvik was working as a constable in the sex crimes unit, she was assigned a historical case of child abuse. The investigation was particularly challenging as the victims were dealing with blocked and faded memories of crimes that had taken place more than a decade earlier. Sergeant Torvik rigorously pursued the case, which resulted in a guilty plea from the offender. Her commitment and dedication to finding justice for these young victims was exceptional as she was receiving ongoing and aggressive treatment for an advanced and life-threatening cancer at the time. For completing a sensitive and disturbing investigation diligently and successfully, despite facing a debilitating health crisis, Sergeant Michelle Torvik is awarded the Chief Constable's Commendation. People become police officers for many different reasons, but a common factor seems the desire to make a difference in the world or even a single life. When Detective Constable Alexander Charles joined the gang crime unit in March 2014, he launched an anti-gang initiative aimed at helping at-risk youth. Detective Constable Charles used his contacts and experience as a former UBC Thunderbird and BC Lions football player to form gang tackle. The goal was to show students the consequences of poor choices and to build relationships with kids who rarely talk to police. Gang tackle was supported by the Vancouver Police Foundation. It brought together professional athletes, UBC Thunderbird alumni, and police officers to play flag football with teens selected by VPD's school liaison officers. More than 200 kids have taken part in gang tackle since it began, and many have made positive changes in their lives. One participant went from a life of crime and drugs to successfully obtaining a university scholarship. For devoting countless hours on and off duty to his community and making a difference in the lives of at-risk youth, Detective Constable Alexander Charles is awarded the Chief Constable's Commendation. Every day, police officers protect the citizens they serve. Two of the VPD's finest have taken that responsibility to a whole new level. The women's personal safety team began in 2012 following the Women's Safety Fair where five police officers gave an interactive presentation aimed at empowering women by teaching them techniques to increase their personal safety. Requests for more demonstrations started coming in and Inspector Colleen Yee and Detective Constable Alice Yee stepped up to coordinate a new women's personal safety team. They obtained funding from the Vancouver Police Foundation for much needed safety equipment and demonstration tools. In 2016, the team grew to 30 officers. All officers volunteer their time with no financial compensation. Team members have presented more than 60 workshops to about 2,000 women. For proactively building collaborative relationships with diverse members of the community and providing women with the skills and confidence they need to feel safer, Inspector Colleen Yee and Detective Constable Alice Yee are awarded the Chief Constable's Commendation. Police officers are exposed to many disturbing things throughout their careers and many of them carry the scars. It's the wounds that you cannot see that are often the most serious. An awareness for the need for mental health resources for first responders has been growing. Constables Emma Hyde and Garrett McDonald are two of the VPD's champions for employee mental health. As the coordinators of the VPD peer support unit which began in 2015, they are dedicated to ensuring the mental wellbeing of all Vancouver Police members. The duo teach courses on recognizing signs for concern not only in one self but in others and they offer tools, resources and support. In 2016 they facilitated the involvement of the VPD's critical incident management, critical incident stress management teams involvement in 31 incidents in which officers received support from their specially trained peers following critical incidents. Their reach has extended beyond the VPD to police recruits at the Justice Institute of BC and other first responder agencies. They've offered support to more than 2000 people 24 hours a day, seven days a week for having a profound impact on the mental wellness of VPD members and their families, breaking down the stigma of mental illness and helping all wounds heal. Constables Emma Hyde and Garrett McDonald are awarded the Chief Constables Commendation. For almost 20 years, Dr. Randy Mackoff has been taking care of the mental wellbeing of members of the VPD. His deep cultural insight into policing and his genuine care have had a positive effect on the lives of many. He is steadfastly available to all staff during times of personal or professional crisis. Dr. Mackoff is an integral part of the critical incident stress management process and the VPD peer support units. He trains police officers to help their fellow officers in times of need. Every year he interviews members working in units designated as high stress to ensure they are coping well. Dr. Mackoff has guided the response and best practices for officers dealing with critical incidents. He played a key role in developing the VPD's crisis negotiation team and trains all negotiators who are called on daily in serious incidents. He has assisted at hundreds of critical incidences day and night for playing a vital role in supporting the mental health and welfare of VPD members and training police officers to use the safest, most effective methods in critical incidents. Dr. Randy Mackoff is awarded the Chief Constable's Commendation. In September 2016, the VPD Identity Theft Unit launched an investigation into a group of criminals believed responsible for residential break-ins and identity fraud in excess of $100,000. Their crimes involved the theft of mail, identity documents, and credit card data. 30 people were identified as suspects into fronting major banks and credit card companies, retail companies, casinos, and CAD companies. The crimes were committed across the region and investigators worked closely with the RCMP, Calgary Police, Edmonton Police, Canada Border Services Agency, the Canadian Bankers Association, and Crown Council. 18 people were arrested, including two in Alberta, and the unit recommended 225 charges against them. They all pled guilty. For disrupting and dismantling the criminal operations of an organized crime group, bringing justice to victims and saving future victims significant losses, the falling members of the Vancouver Police Identity Theft Unit are awarded the Chief Constable Citation. Sergeant Rick Taylor, Detective Constables Ryan Jeffery, Francesco Miguel, Jason Ruzicchi, George Speck, Sean Ward, Constable Ryan Stafford, and crime analyst Cynthia Brown. About their careers, police officers encounter criminals who prey on the most vulnerable in our society. People at an economic disadvantage with addiction issues are living with mental illness. As part of the BPD's anti-fencing unit, Detective Constable's Doug Fowle, Allen Ivezek, and Kirk Miles regularly investigated predatory fences dealing stolen property, a term they developed to define the exploitation of the vulnerable people, these well-insulated fences compelled to steal. Over four years, the officers developed and implemented innovative and effective crime prevention programs and through proactive investigations into the fencing operations, they worked to hold these fences accountable for their crimes. They worked alongside Crown Council, the City of Vancouver's Business Licensing Office, and retailers and their lost prevention officers. Their sustained efforts resulted in an unprecedented number of successful investigations. Criminal charges were laid, business licenses were revoked, and property was seized. The consequences for these predators were not just through the courts. More than $5.8 million in assets were referred for civil forfeiture. For demonstrating exceptional skill, judgment, dedication, and ensuring vulnerable people received protection, and for bringing criminals to justice, Detective Constable's Doug Fowle, Alan Ivesic, and Kirk Miles are awarded the Chief Constable's Citation. It was a Monday morning in July 2016 when a group of officers came together to stop a man intent on jumping off the Lionsgate Bridge. When the officers first arrived at the bridge, they found the man outside of the railing, facing outwards, and holding on with his hands behind him. They tried to coax him to safety as negotiators rushed to the scene. Heavy traffic on the bridge, including pedestrians and cyclists, and strong wind made it challenging to communicate with the man. While negotiators worked with the distraught man, other officers devised a rescue plan that would ensure everyone's safety. As the man let go of the railing and moved his feet closer to the edge, the team was ready. They quickly moved forward to grab on to him. Each officer assigned a different part of his body to hold on to. A chaotic scene ensued as a member's spot to hold on and the determined man fought to let go. One of the officers went over the railing using his safety equipment, and together, they were all able to secure the man to the bridge and pull him to safety. For coming to the rescue of a distraught man intent on ending his own life and risking their own personal safety in a dangerous situation, the following members are awarded the Chief Constable Citation. Sergeants Jim Kenney and Eric Lott, Constables Steve Addison, Jennifer Antonel, Scott Brown, Kyle Chapman, Peter De Silva, Jason Howell, Eric Jordan, Jay Lawrence, Matthew Oliver, Courtney Park, Brian Spencer, and Dave Steverding. Dedication is a common trait for members of the VPD, and when a group of them come together with a common goal, they can accomplish extraordinary things. Starting in June 2016, the members of District 2, Team 7, patrolling Vancouver's downtown east side, began to create projects targeting drug trafficking, problem premises, and chronic offenders. Using surveillance, undercover officers, informants, and other investigative techniques, the officers successfully completed 13 complex projects in just 14 months. 42 search warrants on businesses, homes, and storage lockers, revealed prohibited and restricted weapons, large amounts of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and crystal meth, and more than $235,000 in cash. The investigations also resulted in civil forfeiture proceedings for property worth more than $3 million. For their hard work and initiative in fighting crime, and removing dangerous drugs and dangerous weapons from our streets, the following members of District 2, Team 7, are awarded the Chief Constable's Citation. Sergeant Pete Sadler, Constables Mark Baird, Lorna Brinson, Sherman Chow, Jordan Ginther, Spencer Green, Bethany Jervis, Thomas Lint, Brian McKinnis, Conrad Nemeth, Andrew Penner, Byron Taghiem, Janine Tenino, Jason Trombley, and Brian Watson. Over a year since 1987, members of the Vancouver Police Department have recognized one of their own as police officer of the year. Each spring, members are invited to nominate fellow officers whom they think exemplify excellence at work, outstanding service to the community, and leadership. Nominations are detailed and contain supportive evidence and examples in each of the three categories just mentioned. The nominations are reviewed by the Commendation Board and votes are cast. I am pleased to announce that Sergeant Pete Sadler of the Operations Division, Patrol District 2, Team 7, is the VPD's 2017 Police Officer of the Year. One of the signs of an exceptional police officer is their dedication to sharing a career's worth of knowledge with those who serve under their command. Sergeant Peter Sadler joined the VPD in April 1982. He worked in a variety of operational investigative sections and was promoted to Sergeant in 2009. After stints patrolling downtown Vancouver, he then moved on to the drug units. In 2014, he moved on to lead a team of officers working in the downtown East Side. In the following three years, Sergeant Sadler initiated or supervised 27 projects in the area, resulting in large seizures of drugs and firearms. All in addition to handling the day-to-day policing duties for the busiest district in the city. His success was made possible by the committed officers he led. He mentored them in everything, from writing warrants to developing skills as lead investigators to handling sources and writing operational plans. The coaching he provided helped several members of his team move on to other key investigative positions within the VPD. Sergeant Sadler has recently concentrated almost exclusively on fentanyl trafficking, and his coworkers will tell you that there is no one Sergeant in the VPD more driven to tackle this crisis in Vancouver. He is a leader in dealing with mid- and street-level drug dealers, and several investigations have led to multiple firearms seizures. This work has had a considerable effect on decreasing violence in the downtown East Side and helps with the civil forfeiture of residences, vehicles, and valuable property associated with criminal activity. After 35 years of service, Sergeant Pete Sadler still approaches his work with the eagerness of a new recruit. For his enthusiasm and dedication to police work and his leadership and commitment to developing the skills of police officers under his command, Sergeant Peter Sadler is the 2017 police officer of the year. As Chief Palmer mentioned, their next award is a newest award. Since 2016, the VPD has been recognizing exceptional civilian members as our civilian employee of the year. There are many dedicated civilians working behind the scenes in police departments who are having a tremendous impact on public safety. The VPD is very fortunate to have many, one of whom is VPD's 2017 civilian of the year. Jimmy Nam, a 16-year member of the VPD, began in the information management section where he gained an extraordinary knowledge of the police database and the records management system. He was quickly promoted to a training and administrative assistant and began training sworn and civilian members on the databases. When he went to youth services in February 2013 as a crime analyst and program administrator for the mental health unit, he created new data collection techniques. As a natural problem solver, he became the go-to person for assistant design and data retrieval. His knowledge of information technology, computer programming languages and systems, psychology, statistical analysis, and police databases is immeasurable. Jimmy developed an early warning system to allow the mental health unit to proactively identify the people living with mental health issues who are most at risk to cause harms to themselves or others. This continues to be an important tool for the VPD's assertive outreach and assertive community treatment teams. He created a template to capture the number of patrol calls with the mental health component. This is critical information when determining resources and responses for both police and community health partners. And this work led to the VPD receiving a North American award for public safety innovation. This simple but powerful tool has been adopted by the RTMP and other police agencies in BC. Jimmy is a lifelong learner and he's relentless in his pursuit of knowledge. He is well respected by his coworkers who say he has reserved, thoughtful, sincere, and tumble. And if there's a way to automate a process, Jimmy will find it. Jimmy also finds time to volunteer with the VPD cadet program. For accurately capturing and analyzing data, having a significant impact on mental health services in Vancouver and maintaining the VPD status as a leader in police response to people with mental health issues, Jimmy Naam is the 2017 civilian of the year. So that concludes the award presentation for today. But before we wrap up, I would like to say some thank yous and recognize a few people. First off, thank you to the Roundhouse Community Center for hosting this year's ceremony. It was great to have with you. And I would like to also thank everyone who has worked behind the scenes for months to pull this event together. That includes a very talented event managers, Meneek Thomas and Laura Tynkesta, our incredible videographers and photographers and the entire public affairs team. I would also like to once again thank all of you for coming and congratulate today's award recipients.