A24 April 22, 2011 The Richmond News
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911 AWARDS
A night to honour courage, dedication PHOTO SUBMITTED
Five members of Richmond’s RCMP detachment are nominated at the ninth annual 911 Awards for being part of Alexa’s Team, which is dedicated to investigating and putting forward drunk driving charges. Cpl. Paul Hayes (far left) spent many hours mentoring and training constables Adam Carmichael, (from left), Andrew Whitway, Ed Bastien and Thomas Boyce as part of the team.
BY MICHELLE HOPKINS
mhopkins@richmond-news.com
As a father of young girls himself, Richmond RCMP Cpl. Paul Hayes couldn’t help but be moved and terribly saddened by the tragic death of little Alexa Middelaer by a drunk driver. To honour the four-year-old’s senseless death, her parents Laurel and Michael Middelaer, initiated the Alexa’s Team in 2010. To become a member of Alexa’s Team, police officers from across the Lower Mainland must investigate and put forward at least 10 Criminal Code impairment driving charges. Last year, after a few years on Air One patrol, Hayes, a Richmond
resident, was transferred to the Richmond RCMP detachment. Right away, the veteran police officer decided to motivate and inspire his team of 20 constables to become members of Alexa’s Team. “As a police officer with both Air One and traffic control, I had seen the results of drinking and driving and I’ve dealt with a lot of the after effects,” said Hayes. “I wanted to improve my members impaired testing skills, so they could submit more charges to Crown Counsel. “At the time, there were no Richmond officers taking part in the program.” For the countless hours Hayes spent training and mentoring his officers, the corporal, as well as
four of his members who made it onto Alexa’s Team — constables Ed Bastien, Thomas Boyce, Adam Carmichael and Andrew Whiteway — are nominees in the upcoming Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s ninth annual 911 Awards. “The four members will also be receiving a certificate from Alexa’s parents to congratulate them on making the list,” Hayes said proudly. “They have worked extremely hard and I was thrilled to hear that they were nominated.” Hayes said he’s having so much fun mentoring the guys that he is “humbled by his nomination as well.” Since their training, a vast majority of their impaired driving
charges have been accepted by B.C. Crown counsel. Hayes also credits Const. Jason Parker. Without his help, he said, his members would have not made it on Alexa’s Team. “We only have one breathalyzer constable who is qualified to conduct the tests and he did the lion’s share,” said Hayes. “Without Jason, our guys wouldn’t have achieved their goal … it took a whole group for these four guys to get there. “So kudos go out to my whole team of 20 who played an invaluable role is seeing Ed, Thomas, Adam and Andrew make it on Alexa’s Team.” On Wednesday, April 27, come and join the RCC as they celebrate the courageous men and women
of the city’s emergency personnel, who work hard every day to make sure the city is safe. During the awards ceremony, glasses will be raised in salute to members of the RCMP, Richmond Fire-Rescue, Canadian Coast Guard and B.C. Ambulance/ Paramedics at the River Rock Casino Resort. Tickets for the 911 Awards are $105 or $1,050 for a table of 10. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The MC for the evening is Jack McGee, president and CEO of the Justice Institute of B.C. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 604-278-2822 or go to www. richmondchamber.ca. see Awards page 25