Police Officers Awarded for Traffic Safety Achievements

For most front line police officers, protecting the public is more than just a job.

The National Police Award for Traffic Safety recognizes dedicated officers who go beyond the call of duty to keep road users safe. It is a joint initiative of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canada Safety Council and Transport Canada. The award was presented August 27 at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police in Quebec City. An innovative system to manage traffic policing topped the list of outstanding initiatives.

Effective policing saves lives. Traffic fatalities have dropped by almost half in the past 20 years despite twice as many licensed drivers." In 2000, motor vehicle crashes took 2, 917 lives - a high number, but far lower than the 5,461 killed in 1980.

The winner of the 2002 National Police Award for Traffic Safety developed a database tool that supports the goals of Road Safety Vision 2010. Sergeant Norman Gaumont of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, West Kootenay Traffic Services Unit, West Kootenay, British Columbia was honoured for designing a Traffic Service Management Information Tool that helps police target unsafe driving behaviours. The system identifies crash patterns and police responses, which enables police to manage traffic enforcement more effectively. Strategies developed using this computerized tool reduced deaths and injuries in the West Kootenay area.

Three Honourable Mention Awards were also presented:

• Provincial Constable Christopher Dingman of the Ontario Provincial Police, Whitby Detachment created an Automated Input Management System which enables officers to process impaired drivers more efficiently by streamlining the paperwork.
• Sergeant Rick Hunt, RCMP "K" Division Traffic Services, Red Deer, Alberta and Constable Bruce Reinbold, RCMP "K" Division Traffic Services Edmonton addressed the low rate of criminal convictions in serious collisions. They formed three Criminal Collision Investigation Teams whose expert members perform high quality investigations to ensure charges are not dismissed or reduced.
• La Sûrete du Québec de la MRC de Bellechasse et Service de la sécurité routière de la police de Lévis led a multidisciplinary campaign which resulted in a 22% drop in fatal collisions. Parallel projects by various community partners covered driver behaviour, public education, roadway lights, signage and design, impaired driving countermeasures and media strategies.

The Transport Canada Director General's Road Safety Lifetime Achievement Award was introduced in 2002. Senior Constable Evan Scott of the Rothesay Regional Police Service, Quispamsis , New Brunswick and Staff Sergeant Robert J. Thériault, RCMP Fredericton, New Brunswick were both recognized for their outstanding dedication to safety on Canadian roadways.

Successful strategies from the National Police Award for Traffic Safety appear in the Best Practices Warehouse housed on Transport Canada's Web site .

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About the National Police Award for Traffic Safety

Safety Canada
October 2002