Surrey RCMP celebrated the best of their best on Thursday night, as the Surrey Board of Trade hosted the 2014 Police Officer of the Year Awards.
Outstanding performers were named in nine categories.
• Police Officer of the Year as nominated by peers is Cpl. Nicole Noonan, who was said to be the “hardest working member” under the youth umbrella.
Noonan has been acting-sergeant of the Youth Unit since July 2013 and in that time has revamped the program.
Leading calls and investigations, conducting interviews and supporting other members when needed, Noonan is a dedicated law enforcement professional, with expertise well beyond her years and service, nominators said.
She has participated in Youth Week, Shop with a Cop, Code Blue, Outreach Project and the Think of Me Campaign.
• Surrey RCMP Cpl. Allison Douglas is Police Officer of the Year as nominated by the community. Nominators said she embodies the definition of hard work and is a team player.
Douglas has played an integral part in the Surrey Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (SCADA) since its inception in 2009.
She has been involved in all aspects of the planning and coordination of all four of the SCADA conferences that have been held in Surrey.
She has demonstrated leadership in the area of community education on domestic abuse and preventing abuse is her driving passion.
• Taking the Volunteer of the Year Award is Linda Stromberg.
Stromberg has been a Block Watch captain for the past 13 years in Cloverdale. She not only keeps neighbours informed about crime issues and crime prevention tips, she also uses email to educate neighbours on community events, educational opportunities and community development.
She is also active in school issues, the City of Surrey’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Cloverdale Community Association and Surrey Libraries.
• Karen Summers is the Auxiliary Constable of the Year.
For the past 22 years, nominators say she has been the unsung hero of the Surrey RCMP Auxiliary Constable program. She is a regular volunteer at many community events and is an aAuxiliary constable that can be counted on to assist when needed.
She is also an advocate for auxiliaries to ensure they know their rights and responsibilities.
• Special Const. Susan Caley is the recipient of The Arnold Silzer Community Policing Initiative Award.
Caley meets with seniors in South Surrey daily and participates in seniors’ advisory and mental health groups, drivers’ education, fraud prevention strategies and liaisons with South Surrey businesses.
Caley also helps people at the other end of the age spectrum, attending meetings with youth on probation, participating in Big Brothers/Sisters programs, engaging elementary and high school students and much more.
• Karen Klein, ICBC’s Road Safety Coordinator, won the Police and Business Partnership Award.
Klein is described as a committed partner always looking for new solutions to road safety and auto crime prevention.
Klein often spearheads new initiatives around the issues of speed, impaired driving, distracted driving, and pedestrian safety.
Klein introduced Project SWOOP to Surrey in the spring of 2013. Project SWOOP to educate motorists about the fact speeding and high-risk driving behaviours are dangerous and they increase the probability of being involved in a crash.
• Monica Prasad is the Municipal Employee of the Year.
Prasad works at Surrey RCMP detachment as a diversity coordinator. Prior to this role, Prasad worked as a Victim Services caseworker and filled various term positions as an information officer and records clerk.
As a diversity coordinator, Prasad organizes and participates in community celebrations such as the Vaisakhi Parade, Rakhi, and Surrey Welcoming Community events.
Prasad also teaches and leads Newcomer Tours and Introduction to Policing to Canada workshops and serves on various community committees.
• The Police Team Award went to the Surrey RCMP Criminal Collision Investigation Team (CCIT), which oversees all serious injury and fatal collisions.
The unit continually evolves its investigative techniques to gather the most evidence possible – leading to an extremely high solve rate.
Members are now applying these techniques to unsolved historical criminal collision files. CCIT members are committed to conducting thorough investigations, not only for the victims, but for the families of the victims, and to ensure that innocent parties are cleared of any wrongdoing.
Since the inauguration of the CCIT team, remaining RCMP Traffic Services members have been able to concentrate on traffic-related enforcement and education, which has resulted in a decrease of the number of fatal and serious injury collisions in Surrey by almost 50 per cent.
CCIT has uncovered suspects in all but one of their 144 files to date.
The Police Officer of the Year Awards were held at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel on Thursday, Oct. 9.
