I am nominating Ottawa Police's Mel Shortman for the Community Role Model award. I first met Cst. Shortman while training in martial arts, where she consistently provided support and assistance to all new and established trainers. She is engaged with the community and has demonstrated a unique ability to connect with a variety of different personalities. What first impressed me about Mel was that she was an entirely down-to-earth officer who treated everyone equally and entirely without judgement. She really made the gym an amazing place to go as she inspired a sense of community and teamwork.
Mel demonstrates passion and excitement regarding her career, and she continues to enjoy helping people. She taught me a lot while we were training together, including the importance of differentiating between helping, harming, and subduing. The main reason I believe Mel deserves this award is because, despite the difficulties of being an officer (and female at that), she continues to strive toward building a safe community environment. She has a unique gift for allowing people to feel at ease and comfortable around her, and she is genuine. Our gym would not have had the same connection or closeness without her. I am very respectful to an officer who immerses themselves into the community as it inspires a sense of trust in the police. Thank-you Mel, for being awesome and building bridges between officers and civilians.