Until the end of the month, the Edmonton Police Service is asking the public to help choose its “top cop” — an award meant to spotlight the officer who goes above and beyond the badge.
The honour dates back to 1976, when it was first awarded to Staff Sergeant Joe Dumonceaux, an officer known not just for his policing, but for stepping into the community to curb violence in minor hockey — setting the tone for what the award still celebrates today.
The award is delivered in partnership with the local Kiwanis Edmonton Oil Capital Club, an Edmonton branch of the global charity that works to improve life for children.
Local president Beverly Levis said the goal of the award is to recognize “meritorious community service” rather than just contributions to law enforcement.
“They live in our community, they work in our community and I think it demonstrates the depth of people that we have in our police force,” Levis said.
Previous top cops include Const. Daniel Tallack who has been involved in supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community and works with youth, and Det. Manuel Illner who mentors children and youth in sport and fundraises for the Zebra Centre.
Supt. Bart Lawczynski, who works in human resources with EPS said that volunteerism spirit is something the organization tries to instill very early on in its recruits.
Lawczynski said right from recruit class, officers are expected to take part in hundreds of hours where they are out in the community helping people who are in need.
He said it’s important for building trust, that people see officers serving when they’re not in uniform.
“What Kiwanis really does is highlights what I like to call stuff that’s beyond the badge and it’s not often stuff that the public gets to see,” he said.
While ample community service is the criteria for netting a top cop award, when it comes to overall excellence in modern-day community policing Lawczynski said there are some important qualities officers should have.
Lawczynski said EPS hires cops who come from all walks of life and are choosing the job because they want to make a difference in the community.
He said great police are also the ones who have the skills they can’t teach. While they can teach hard skills, it’s soft skills like emotional intellgience, empathy and sympathy, that he looks for in recruits.
“Respect is huge. Respect goes a long way in building trust. And that’s what we’re ultimately trying to do, is build trust in our communities,” Lawczynski said.
Last year’s top cop, Cost. Thomas Cleal, was awarded the honours for the work he does with Special Olympics, an organization he’s been putting in hours with for over 10 years now.
He said the job of being a police officer has evolved significantly even just in recent years, and agrees that building trust is crucial.
On his beat in downtown Edmonton there can be some pretty tough situations, where he might come across people in some of the worst moments in their lives.
“Being a compassionate person and kind of being able to recognize the hand that some people are dealt in life might not be the exact hand that you might have been dealt,” is something Cleal said he tries to do.
He said his goal is to try and leave every situation better than he found it.
Potential nominees for the Top Cop award must be active members of the Edmonton Police Service and who volunteer outside of their regular duties.
People who wish to nominate an officer are able to submit an application until April 30.
Related
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.