At a ceremony held on Nov. 2 at PHQ, 32 Albertans received citations from the Royal Canadian Humane Association for their heroism. Among those receiving this prestigious acknowledgment were seven EPS members.

Cst. Duane Bateman, Brad Tilley, and Cst. Julianne Toner

On the afternoon of November 5, 2014 a speeding vehicle struck another making a left hand turn across a busy intersection in Edmonton. A total of 5 occupants sustained various degrees of injuries. Brad Tilley, an off duty Edmonton Fire Fighter, stopped his vehicle to help.

One of the vehicles, an SUV, was lying on its roof halfway up a berm. Brad rushed over to the unstable vehicle and noticed gasoline leaking from it. He asked a bystander to get a fire extinguisher from his car, then he crawled into the SUV to turn off the ignition switch to prevent any sparks from igniting the gasoline. The father was lying across the front seat with his head outside the passenger window. Brad noted that the daughter was pinned in the back seat and could not be reached until the father was removed.

Emergency crews, including Cst. Julianne Toner and Cst. Duane Bateman were now on the scene. There was smoke coming from the vehicle and concern that the SUV might catch on fire. Despite gasoline dripping on her, Cst. Toner assisted firefighters by holding the father’s head while he was removed from the vehicle. He was put on a spinal board and taken to hospital. Cst. Bateman came to the aid of the girl in the back seat whose legs were pinned. He noticed she was having trouble breathing due to her back and neck being severely arched. While Brad raised the girl’s arms, Cst. Bateman placed a rolled up blanket under the girl to make her more comfortable. There was gasoline pouring onto her and dripping on both men.

Once the father had been removed from the vehicle they were able to free the daughter, remove her from the vehicle, and she was also taken to hospital.

For removing two people from an extremely dangerous situation the Bronze Medal for Bravery was awarded to Cst. Duane Bateman, Cst. Julianne Toner, and Brad Tilley.

Constables Nathan Sharuga, Norm Wong, Ethan Watts, Brandon Myhre, and Timothy Moeller

On October 24, 2014, just after midnight, Constables Wong and Moeller came upon a burning townhouse complex that was under construction in west Edmonton. The fire was already burning out of control so they called for the fire department and additional police assistance. The building was unoccupied; however, the fire began to spread to three nearby residences that were occupied.

Constables Moeller and Wong began banging on the doors and where joined by Constables Sharuga, Watts and Myhre. They were able to get the residents out of two suites but there was no answer at the third. The fire was intensifying and the heat was almost unbearably as Cst. Wong continued banging on the door. A female finally came to the door. When she realized the danger she grabbed her small child, followed Cst. Wong to safety and informed him that her elderly paralyzed father was still inside.

While Cst. Sharuga re-checked the first two suites to make sure they were empty, Constables Moeller, Myhre, Watts and Wong entered the last one to carry out the paralysed victim. The flames and thick smoke were billowing around them making breathing difficult. As they carried the male out to safety, sparks and other debris fell on and around them.

Once they confirmed that the 3 suites were empty the five constables moved on to evacuate other neighbouring buildings. By this time the Fire Department had arrived and quickly contained and controlled the fire while additional Police units came to assist with evacuations. The quick thinking and brave actions of the five constables helped to save four adults and a child.

For risking their lives, going above and beyond the call of duty to save the lives of others, the Bronze Medal for Bravery was awarded to Constables Timothy Moeller, Brandon Myhre, Nathan Sharuga, Ethan Watts and Norm Wong.

Presenting these awards was Her Honour, the Honourable Lois Mitchell, CM, AOE, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and A/Chief Tony Harder.

Mayor Iveson recognizes award-winning officers
17-Sep-2015

On Wednesday, September 9, Mayor Iveson and Edmonton City Council recognized award-winning members of the Edmonton Police Service. Members of the Edmonton Police Commission, and the Edmonton Police Foundation, were in attendance at the ceremony.

School Resource Officers (SROs) win the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Award for Emergency Preparedness)

When we talk about front-line policing, SROs are about as frontline as you can get. 19 of them operate out of 21 high schools.

Being an SRO is one of the most rewarding postings there can be for a police officer. They build relationships with students from all walks of life.

And, they’re highly trained; specializing in various areas of emergency preparedness. Their training is so valuable, that businesses look to them to assist in creating their own lockdown procedures and protocols, to conduct security assessments and to make related recommendations.

“Their winning the CACP Emergency Preparedness Award is a testament to their skills and hard work,” noted Deputy Chief Tony Harder, who attended the City Council recognition ceremony.

Former SRO, Const. Stacy Miskolczi, first Canadian police officer to win the National Association of School Resource Officers Award of Valour.

Const. Miskolczi saved the life of a staff member at L.Y. Cairns High School in November 2014.

When she heard that the individual had collapsed, she rushed to the scene and found him unconscious and unresponsive. She administered chest compressions while a teacher grabbed the automated external defibrillator machine.

The individual regained his heartbeat and was rushed to the hospital where he fully recovered.

Const. Miskolczi’s quick response, and her CPR training, saved his life.

After recognizing Const. Miskolczi, Mayor Iveson led a standing ovation for her.

Coordinated Counterfeit Credit Card Unit Detective Bill Allen won the CACP Bank of Canada 2015 Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for Counterfeit Deterrence Award

A 28-year police officer, Detective Allen has covered a lot of areas in policing. He is regularly stopped on the street by people he has helped over the years; people who want to thank him for helping them when they were victims of crime.

Sometimes they just want to say hello to the friendly police officer who used to walk the beat in their neighbourhood. These interactions are the hallmark of a successful police officer, one who has built positive community relations, one who carries his EPS badge with pride.

He is the Northern Alberta Vice President of the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators, and is a long-serving member of the Cross Border Fraud Association.

“Detective Allen comes from a police family, and is a senior detective with a history of work-related awards. His expertise in the area of fraud crimes makes him a very valuable asset to the EPS,” said Deputy Chief Harder.

40 EPS Members Receive Commissioned Officer Designation
21-Apr-2015

40 Edmonton Police Service Senior Officers received their Commissioned Officer designation at a ceremony held at the Royal Alberta Museum on Fri., April 17.

“Although this honour will not change what you do, it is a prestigious and meaningful recognition of the significance of what you do. The parchments you are presented with today are a symbol, a symbol of power and authority, but also of responsibility, duty and commitment,” said Chief Knecht.

Attending the ceremony was Edmonton Police Commission Chair Shami Sandhu, Councillor Scott McKeen, Dr. Curtis Clarke, Acting Deputy Solicitor General, and EPS Chief Rod Knecht.

For the first time in Alberta, municipal police agencies are receiving this prestigious honour. Commissioned officers command their specific unit or service and receive their authority for command from Her Majesty The Queen.

Historically, military and RCMP officers were commissioned once they achieved a senior rank. In the fall of 2014, the Government of Alberta extended this honour to municipal and First Nations police officers.

The recipients are as follows:

Greg ALCORN - Inspector
Phil BAILEY - Inspector
Darrin A., BALANIK - Inspector
Kevin, BREZINSKI - Inspector
Danielle, CAMPBELL - Deputy Chief
David, CHRISTOFFEL - Inspector
Darren, DERKO - Inspector
Bradley, DOUCETTE - Superintendent
Darren C., EASTCOTT - Superintendent
Trent, FORSBERG - Inspector
Kevin, GALVIN - Superintendent
Gary, GODZIUK - Inspector
Anthony, HARDER - Deputy Chief
Dean, HILTON - Inspector
Graham, HOGG - Inspector
Regan, JAMES - Inspector
Erik, JOHNSON - Inspector
Deborah, JOLLY - Superintendent
Denis, JUBINVILLE - Superintendent
David, KOROL - Deputy Chief, Retired
Brain, LOBAY - Inspector, Retired
Bradley, MACDONALD - A/Superintendent
Ed, McFARLANE - Superintendent, Retired
Edward, McISAAC - Inspector
Garry, MEADS - Superintendent, Retired
Alan, MURPHY - Inspector
Mark, NEUFELD - Superintendent
Brian, NOWLAN - Inspector, Retired
Thomas, PALLAS - Inspector
Gregory, PRESTON - Superintendent
Terrence, ROCCHIO - Superintendent
Darlene, SAVIOE - Superintendent
Brian, SIMPSON - Deputy Chief
Bill, SPINKS - Superintendent, Retired
Darcy, STRANG - Inspector
Chad, TAWFIK - Inspector
Teri, UHRYN - Inspector
David, VEITCH - Superintendent
Joel, WHITTAKER - Inspector
David, ZUKIWSKY - Inspector, Retired
Rod, *KNECHT - Chief of Police
Nigel, *STEVENS - Superintendent, Retired
*Presented at separate function.