This officer exemplifies what a police officer should be with one major difference. Every year, he makes time in his already busy schedule to ensure hundreds of kids get a day to spend with police officers fishing. This gets the kids to see and understand that police officers are good, teaches the kids important things about safety, and gets hundreds of parents talking to our local officers. The amount of effort he has put onto this event every year for 10 plus years is a huge commitment, and so many children and parents have enjoyed this community event over the years.

I have known Cst. Stephenson for many years, both professionally and personally. You could not ask for a more dedicated police officer who was also the best police association president. He would always take the time to listen and research every item that was brought to the table with the police association.

I would like to nominate a very fine man who had made a huge impact on the state of our downtown. Constable Mark O’Connell is an 18 year veteran of the Guelph Police Services. Constable O’Connell walks the beat of downtown Guelph. He pops into businesses to see if they’re ok, any problems, and so on. But he goes above and beyond. Like most cities and town, Guelph has a very visible addiction and homelessness crisis. But Mark treats the suffering drug addict/alcoholic with respect.

20 years ago, when a person was suffering from depression, it was not always dealt with the way it is today. My interactions with law enforcement were generally not good experiences. However, there is one officer that stands out all these years later - Jeff Hahn. He took me to the hospital - I was quiet, expecting the worse. Once in a room, I sat in the chair, assuming he would stay in the hall. He did not. Instead, he came in, hopped up on the gurney and talked and talked. A little thing to most, but to me he reinforced there are people out there that care about you. 

Judith was our School Resource Officer years ago. We were lucky to have her serve our school community. She was eager to help, accessible to us when we needed her, and was a person of integrity.

There are not enough words and not enough time to completely describe the difference Monique has made to the youth in our community. I met Monique at a local Windsor high school. She was the liaison officer. Two of her high schools were in high risk neighbourhoods. Many of the students came from impoverished homes. Many of our students had drug, crime and mental health issues. Monique knew them all! She spent most lunches in the building making sure our students knew they were safe with her. She would sometimes give the kids her number so they could call her whenever they needed her. 

Dawn Neilly was the Community Police Constable for the Carlington Community the last three years. In my mind, this was a police officer who did their job to the best of their ability every day, no matter how difficult it was. Carlington is a diverse socio-economic community with residents who have varying issues. She treated everyone with respect and showed up at coffee time at the Caldwell Family Centre to talk to residents from the community, community events and worked to help the community turn a very unsavory park into one that has now become a gathering place for the local residents. 

Officer Maharaj works in Durham North (Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock Township). I am nominating him for the Community Role Model award because he truly demonstrates that he cares about the residents in Durham North. For example, Officer Maharaj, his wife (a retired police officer) and his two daughters prepared a Christmas dinner with all the fixings at home, and then delivered it to the retirement residence in Sunderland on Christmas Day. This officer and his family celebrated Christmas not at their home but at a retirement residence. His act of kindness and the time he spent with the residents made a difference, especially for those who did not have family to spend Christmas with. Also, his community engagement is remarkable. Officer Maharaj does coffee chats at various venues in Durham North.

We had our car quit in Ajax during 3:10-5:30 pm rush hour in a construction site while Christmas shopping and dropping gifts in Ajax, Ont. Another Constable first came on the scene as we had called for help. We were between Westney Rd and Highway #2. So anyone familiar with the area knows this is a busy spot at all times, plus there was construction. PC Torcivia came to replace the first set of constables. He was so kind. Placed an order for the tow truck. Actually got the construction crew to help move our car. Had lights signalling car problem. 

Jeffery Mclean embodies everything that it means to be a Police Officer within a small community. Jeffery set himself apart early on in his policing career, taking on the initiative of a crumbling D.A.R.E program and turning it into an incredible success that children within the community look forward to. Not only has his passion and dedication to duty and his service to the community changed the way the D.A.R.E program is seen, but it has also changed how the Shelburne Police Service is viewed.