Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement
Awards Criteria and Past Winners

Here are the various AWLE Awards and the criteria that is considered for each award nomination. 2011 Award winners and the synopsis for that individuals award are also included.

Award recipients will be nominated for the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) Awards, so it is preferred, but not required, that all nominations be submitted electronically as well as hard copy.

Officer of the Year Award - Top Cop

To be awarded to any female officer who has a history in excellence in all four areas of leadership, community service, mentoring and excellence in performance.

2011 Officer of the Year Award Winner - 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 to exceed 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.

Leadership Award

To be awarded to any female officer who distinguishes herself by superior accomplishments or continuing long-term involvement using leadership skills that encompass, but are not limited to, problem solving, planning, organizational, communication, positive role model, and/or administration which make a significant contribution within the agency or the law enforcement mission.

2011 Leadership Award Winner - 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.

Community Service Award

To be awarded to any female officer who distinguishes herself by superior accomplishment through developing, designing, implementing, and participating in programs involving communities that include neighborhoods, schools, community meetings or businesses.

2011 Community Service Award Winner - 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.

Mentoring Award

To be awarded to any female officer, who distinguishes herself with her support and assistance to women in law enforcement, development of programs or policies favorable to women, serving on committees/organizations that review women’s issues.

2011 Mentoring Award Wiunner - 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.

Excellence in Performance Award

To be awarded to any female officer who distinguishes herself thorough superior attention to duty or outstanding investigative effort that leads to the identification, location, or arrest, or a major criminal or criminal activity.

2011 Excellence in Performance Award Winner - 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.

Medal of Valor

To be awarded to any female officer who distinguishes herself through acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty. This would also include exemplary performance during extremely dangerous situations. This award is not limited to one recipient.

The Medal of Valor was not awarded in 2011.

Team Endeavors Award

To be awarded to any female officer and her male counterpart(s), who distinguish themselves by working on a complex, comprehensive, ground-breaking or long-term project within a service or across jurisdictions, with broad implications for law enforcement or justice; in other words, a major issue with significant implications for change. This could include investigations, administrative projects such as internal reviews, leading teams organizing major events and conferences, organizational change projects, task forces or public inquiry support. Specify the nature of the role of each of the members of the team.

Note: The team activity should have concluded in the last 18 months. If the project was a sensitive undercover or similar project, please indicate what names and information should not be disclosed publicly.

The Team Endeavors Award was not awarded in 2011.

More detailed information on the criteria considered for each award is listed on page 3 of the Award Nomination Form. Please contact any member of the AWLE Executive if you have any further questions.