Officer Smith's dedication, commitment & passion has been evident in his role as our School Police officer at Helen Detwiler. He has demonstrated his leadership and commitment by attending and leading learning sessions at our Parent Engagement nights, attended school wide assemblies and invests time in presenting to our middle school classes to educate our students and school community about the importance of respectful actions, behaviours and decision making to be positive citizens in society. Officer Smith has made such an impact on our school community, we are grateful to have him to support our School Wide initiatives and ensure that our students & staff are safe at school and in the community!

I would like to nominate Patrick Sprigg from One District for Hero of the Year. Patrick was working in the domestic violence unit when I met him. 

I was full of fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Patrick was extremely kind and reassuring that everything was going to be ok. He spent nearly 4 years as the lead dectective on my case. Over that period of time I got to know Patrick very well. He came to my home to check on me regularly. He called me regularly and he always returned my calls, no matter how many times a day I called him. 

He treated me with so much respect and talked to me as if we were friends rather than just the detective on my case. We spend hours and hours, and many days in court together. He always stopped by my house after court to see how I was feeling. I wanted to give up and walk away from everything so many times. Patrick always calmed me down and let me vent, even if I yelled at him. He understood what I was going through and how hard it was for me. 

I have always had a difficult time trusting the police to help me. Patrick showed me the human side of being an officer. I wasn't just a file or a number. I was a person. He genuinely cares what people are going through. He cared about what happened to me and he was always there for me. I would not have been able to proceed through the entire trial if it wasn't for Patrick. 

I have never seen an officer dedicate so much time to a regular citizen. He is truly a hero and a once in a lifetime type of person. He has a huge heart very strong values as an officer and person. 

Patrick made a humongous impact on my life. I will never forget him and I know that I can always call him if I need to talk. He goes above and beyond to make people feel comfortable with him. I have never met an officer like him. He is my hero!

I first met Officer Dargie when he and his band would entertain at my child's then school. I thought, WOW, talented!! Never had I ever seen a member of the Police force in such a capacity. He sings great, loves kid's and protects the citizen's of Oshawa. If my memory maybe serves me correctly, I believe it was after seeing this mega-talent perform that we met again, when he pulled me over for speeding/ lol We chatted a bit at that point. I couldn't have been stopped by a nicer officer.

I would like to nominate Shannon Parks for his dedication to his job, for his dedication to keeping the street safe, his dedication to helping those less fortunate, and his dedication to helping those who can't quite help themselves. He has change so many life's for the better.

Officer Abrams was one of the many police officers who helped myself and other classmates at my highschool in finding someone who was exposing himself to young students. I had been exposed twice within a year. He made sure that during my time speaking with him at the station or at school was very relaxed and calm. His determination to find the suspect was still incredibly strong. A lot of students in high school are usually threatened by police presence; but this feeling was totally different. It was safety. Officers like him provide the community with a positive outlook on law enforcement which I believe to be highly important. Being able to walk to school without being worried of that happening was a great relief. Thank you.

Photo courtesy of the Belleville Intelligencer

He is a very fine Officer and an awesome human being. I've never seen him be anything but kind and respectful and willing to do more than just what is required. He is the best!

Video of Cst. Dargie: http://rogerstv.com/media?lid=237&rid=2&gid=271368

He was there 15 years ago for my kids and still is!

Shawn is an amazing man who's work sometimes goes unnoticed by the public . He puts long hours in to keep our city safe. He is a kind, hard working man who deserves recognition.

I am nominating PAT SWAN of the Waterloo Regional Police Services for 2017. I know what it feels like to be dealing with anxiety and depression. I felt that his story came from the heart and took a lot of courage to tell his story about mental health, even as a police officer. 

Constable Breen and the other responding Officers went above and beyond when a sudden death occurred in the family. Constable Breen not only offered kind words at a very stressful time, he also drove me home through a blinding snow storm. His words and actions were comforting during a very hard time for my family and myself. Thank you!