The Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement (AWLE) 19th annual training conference held in Halifax, NS, from October 18-21, 2011 was another huge success, boasting over 110 delegates in attendance. The presentations were not only informative this year but they certainly
demonstrated to the group that each attendee has within themselves the “ courage to take the lead” which was the theme of the conference, and the ability to promote themselves within their own organizations.
Cpl. Laurie White, an RCMP member from British Columbia was the keynote speaker. Cpl. White was shot on the job during an execution of a search warrant in 1998 and she consequently lost her right leg from the knee down as a result of her injuries. Her presentation was riveting as she spoke from the heart about her experience going through this life altering on the job injury . She returned to full active duty after only ten months of rehabilitation and in doing so, is the only female police officer in Canadian history to return to duty with a prosthetic leg. Her presentation had a tremendous impact on the delegates in attaendance. Everyone in the room could relate to the dangers of the law enforcement profession but Cpl. White shared with them that she had that courage to overcome her new disability and rise to the challenge.Over the three day training conference, other speakers consisted of a very informative panel discussion on the UN Missions that some Police Officers are able to take part in through their respective departments. This was presented by RCMP’s Chief Supt. Jean-Michel and HRP members Sgt. Tim Moser, Sgt. Nancy Rudback and Sgt. Penny Hart. All of the panel presenters on this topic have taken part in at least one UN Mission and they shared their experiences and recruitment with the group of delegates.
The Undercover Operations presentation by members of the RCMP along with the Criminal Profiling presentation by S/Sgt. Mark McKinley of the RCMP were very informative and enabled all of the delegates to take home street level related training that they could use when they hit the streets again. This type of training presented information to the varying seniority levels to think about working towards these types of related special operations divisions in thier fields in the future.
An open panel discussion on women in leadership roles was delivered to the group by HRP member Supt.Brenda Zima, RCMP member C/Supt. Oonagh Enright and Crown attorney Denise Smith. This group discussion led some personal experiences from all three presenters and some
of the challenges they themselves had to overcome along the way. This motivating group of presenters encouraged all of the officers in the room to be confident and professional and the new bigger challenges on the job wouldn’t seem so big with the support of each other.
The last presentation was the case study investigation of the Paula Gallant homicide. The outcome of that investigation made an impact not only on the people involved in the case but the community that supported that investigation from beginning to end. Many related training and investigative follow up issues were presented as a result of that investigation. It was a very well presented case study that demonstrated the importance and success of undercover work itself within law enforcement.
The highlight of the week was the Awards Banquet hosted with delegates and dignitiaries including representatives of the Halifax Regional Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, the Honorable Mayann Francis, and Nova Scotia Justice Minister Ross Landry.The following awards were presented:
Officer of the Year – Corporal Angela Hawryluk, Nova Scotia RCMP
Cpl. Hawryluk has been a member of the RCMP since 1992. In March of 2008, she assumed the position of NCO i/c of the RCMP “H” Division Federal Enforcement Section in Halifax. She readily accepted the challenges of started a new unit from scratch and currently supervises 5 constables and a PSE.
Cpl. Hawryluk exhibits attributes in all categories of Officer of the Year criteria – Community Service, Excellence in Performance, Leadership, and Mentoring. As FES was new to the province, Cpl. Hawryluk conducted presentations and information sessions for police and community groups to increase awareness of the services provided by the section. She continues to oversee the investigation of a very complicated fraud file. Her supervision, guidance and investigative abilities have been crucial to the success of this investigation. She has led several successful Copyright Act and Radiocommunication Act investigations. The Division Training Section continues to rely on Cpl. Hawryluk as a Subject Matter Expert and as a facilitator on the National Part 6 (Wiretap) Course and the Divisional Search Warrant Course. Her extensive knowledge in the field of judicial authorizations has made her a “go to” person within the Division. She ensures those around are involved, consulted and their opinions welcomed and provides constructive and timely feedback to assist members in improving their skills and abilities. Cpl. Hawryluk encourages and supports the development of her section employees through guidance and supervision. She demonstrates a strong work ethic, a commitment toexceed not only within her program area but in other non-program activities. She is considered to be a future leader not only within the RCMP but within the greater policing community
Community Service Award – Constable Jennifer Arnold, Nova Scotia RCMP
Cst. Jennifer Arnold joined the RCMP in 2002, transferring to Antigonish District Detachment in
2006. In 2008 she became the Community Policing Officer. She identified the need to increase attention to and awareness of bullying in schools and engaged a group of community minded students. She formed an action group in fall of 2009, and partnered with Crime Stoppers to allow youth to report bullying. She acquired a funding grant from Department of J ustice to fund trainers.
In 2009 Cst. Arnold took on the policing priority relating to the reluctance of First Nations females reporting domestic abuse and became a trainer for the ODARA model of assessing risks within relationships. She trained members locally and other officers within NS. She completed quality assurance reviews on all domestic assault files and worked with a core group of First Nation females to identify barriers such as bureaucratic red tape and intimidating processes. Cst. Arnold and a chair of this group organized a round table discussion which resulted in the completion of a discussion paper.
Cst. Arnold has also put a great deal of effort in supporting the Big Brother Big Sister organization and the Seniors Programs in the Antigonish area.
Cst. Arnold exemplifies this year’s theme of “Courage to Take the Lead”. Based upon the work of Cst. Arnold over the span of her career it is obvious she believes that being involved with all facets of the community we police is important.Excellence in Performance – Cst. Stephanie Motty, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Cst. Stephanie Motty became a member of the RNC in 2002. She demonstrates sound judgment, coolness under pressure, integrity and dependability. Very early in her career, she
became involved with the Drug Investigation Unit and has demonstrated a natural ability of this specialized police work. She has demonstrated good judgment and reaction during serious incidents involving weapons. In 2007 Cst. Motty’s superior work ethic and exceptional investigative skills became evident as a CASA (child abuse and sexual assault) investigator. As an investigator with the Major Crime Unit, Cst. Motty has excelled in this complex and challenging policing environment. Cst. Motty is highly praised by Crown Counsel, by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary upper management and by families of her investigations.
Cst. Motty demonstrates the ability to be an intuitive investigator, works well in a team environment and is considered by her superiors as a “go to” person who can be depended upon to perform difficult jobs.
Leadership Award – Corporal Melanie Geoffrion, Nova Scotia RCMP
Cpl. Geoffrion has been a member of RCMP since 2002. In her role of Community Policing Officer for Antigonish District she evaluated community programs with the greatest impact, fostered community partnerships, and worked specifically with MADD, ATCCP (Antigonish Town & Country Crime Prevention), and Crime Stoppers. Each of these groups required and received strong leadership from Cpl. Geoffrion to return them to a highly functioning community support program.In addition to her primary role of Community Policing Officer, Cpl. Geoffrion performed acting supervisor duties to members both senior and junior in service. She rose to the challenge and exceeded in all expectations, providing members with the guidance and direction they needed to improve their skills and abilities.
Mentoring – Detective Constable Carol Campbell-Waugh, Halifax Regional Police
D/Cst. Campbell-Waugh has been a member of Halifax Regional Police since 1989. In her day to day work, D/Cst Campbell-Waugh has been a strong mentor to both men and women throughout her career. She demonstrates continuous mentoring of her female police colleagues within HRP through her strong support of Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement. She has served as a coach officer and mentored other junior officers and was a Safety Officer Trainer to both recruit and in- service officers. She developed and instructed on the topic of women in policing to a recruit class and a group of police from Gambia and the Philippines and presented to a recruit class on intelligence led policing. She is Chair of a School Advisory Council in a community school and
is a hard working, caring, and ethical example of a police officer that many would hope to one day achieve.
Congratulations to all of the award recipients! AWLE Conferences embrace a professional training forum and at the same time have developed into a warm, friendly atmosphere allowing for networking and encouraging everyone to take part and share their experiences on the job as well as in life.
Next year the AWLE conference will be a condensed event held in conjunction with the 50th
International Association of Women Police (IAWP) Conference being hosted September 9-13,
2012 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. There are in excess of 800 delegates expected to attend from agencies throughout the world. Please visit the AWLE website at www.awle.org for more information on AWLE and IAWP.
Cst.Tammy MacDonald
Halifax Regional Police
Media Relations for Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement