What a Year! 2012 in Review.

As we close of 2012 I thought it would be fitting to review some highlights of the past year. From my perspective, 2012 was busy for the IAWP and across Region 12.

In January the very first female police officer in Brandon, Manitoba retired after 33 years of service. Sergeant Carol Fisher is humble about her career but she is considered a pioneer for the 12 women who currently work for the Brandon Police Service. Carol is featured on the Brando Police Service web page.

http://police.brandon.ca/history/women-behind-the-badge

At the end of February IAWP First Vice President Margaret Shorter (right) and I (center), along with IAWP Second Vice President Myra James (left) began our journey over to the United Arab Emirates to take part in the First Emirates Women Police Conference. This was one of Mrya’s last official duties as IAWP Second Vice President as she has now retired after 11 years on the Board of Directors. Rumour has it that IAWP President Jane Townsley has convinced her to continue her liasion role with the board so we will continue to benefit from her experience, leadership and warm smile!

 

The First Emirates Women Police Conference took place in Abu Dhabi.  Newly elected IAWP Second Vice President Steph Harding (left) and IAWP Region 16 Coordinator Amna  M. Khami Al Belooshi (right) pulled together an outstanding training and cultural program.   Just before leaving Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Policewomen Association was officially welcomed as an IAWP affiliate.   I am sure we will see further outstanding IAWP events in this region! 

The board continued with our overseas travel schedule into March as we travelled from Abu Dhabi to Dhaka, Bangladesh for the IAWOP early board meeting and the First Asia Region Women Police Conference. This is one of the last “official” photos of Margaret in her iconic RCMP red serge with Sadia Rowan (right) of the Bangladesh Police Service. Sadia was one of the organizers for our time in Dhaka and made us all feel welcome at the Police Staff College where she is currently working.


Other highlights from Dhaka included the Dahka Declaration and the board took part in an International Women’s Day celebration on March 8th for the first time. I hope

  In April, shortly after returning home from my IAWP adventures, my own agency, the Winnipeg Police Service, hosted our 10th Annual Policewomen’s Network Conference. This year set a record attendance and received great reviews from everyone who attended.

IAWP 2014 Conference committee members Lisa Mandziak (left) and Andree Huberdeau (right) provided an overview of our planning process and encouraged everyone to get involved in this event. (More details on the progress for IAWP 2014 to come in another blog….soon!)

The Winnipeg Police Service held our annual Awards Day in early May. Patrol Sergeant Edith Turner was honored with the James Toal Award of Excellence. Further details on Edith and her achievements are noted in this story from the Winnipeg Free Press.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/award-winning-female-officer-made-history-151229165.html


Some of you may also remember Edith from the 2012 IAWP Training Conference. Edit (left) is featured here with Myra (right) during a break at the Annual IAWP Awards Luncheon. After Edith’s presentation, regarding her assistance to the Hamilton Police Service, she and Myra realized they have several connections in common and took time to pose for this photo.



The accolades for Region 12 members continued into June. RCMP Corporal Gertrude Maxwell (proudly displaying her medal in photograph below) was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. RCMP Staff Sergeant Margaret Shorter also received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee for her 35 years of public service as a police officer. I am sure I speak for all of us across Region 12 when I say we are very proud of both women.



July marked the start of celebrations across western Canada to mark 100 years of women in policing. To start us off the Vancouver Police marked 100 years of women in policing on July 18th, the anniversary of the first two women hired by the department. Vancouver Police Museum celebrated with an exhibit in honor of women in policing and later in September the Vancouver Police Service hosted the Evolution of Policing Conference. See more about the museum exhibit through the link below.

http://www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca/wime.html


As I was searching the web to research my blog I was amused to find that there was even a theatrical performance to pay homage to the first women cops. See more on the story through the link below.

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Canada+first+female+police+officers+their/7507938/story.htm




Jumping ahead in the calendar to October, the Calgary Police Service helped honor the 100 year milestone by hosting a conference on women in policing. And the Edmonton Police Service also celebrated 100 years of women in policing with a photo exhibit. Read more on this with the news links below.

Calgary Police Service Women in Policing to celebrate 100 years in Edmonton and Vancouver

http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/10/13/special-canada-celebrates-100-years-of-women-in-policing




http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=d26f3044-95e8-4cae-8304-185bc35d6bd1



Edmonton Police celebrate the first female officer in Canada! October 1, 1912.

http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=898d5861-891e-4d27-bed7-1392af7986f1


http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/399761/new-photo-exhibit-marks-100-years-of-female-cops/




I am not sure if you recall my previous article in the Women Police magazine, but (Retired) Deputy Chief Carolyn Daley of the Vancouver Police Department was busy researching the accuracy of the history of women in policing across Canada. I have ear marked my calendar to touch base with her in the coming year to see what her research has uncovered so be sure to check back for updates. Or, if you have some historical information to send me I would love to post it on the blog.



September definitely capped off a successful business year for IAWP. A new board is now in place. Thanks for your support to allow me to continue in another term as Region 12 Coordinator. Margaret Shorter is continuing in her role as First Vice President and Linda Cunningham was re-elected as Sergeant at Arms. So…our region continues to be well represented! I look forward to continue working with both of these women (and the entire board) to represent your interests on a global level. Be sure to keep in touch with any one (or all!) of us to pass along your thoughts.



The global reach of IAWP continued in 2012 with the 2015 IAWP Conference big being awarded to Cardiff, Wales. The conference has previously been hosted in the UK but this will mark a first for Wales. Congratulations to IAWP 2015! With the experience of Region 13 Coordinator Julia Jaeger and Conference Director Carolyn Williamson to lead the team, this is sure to be a great venue to mark 100 years of IAWP!


Region 12 had a strong representation at the 50th Annual IAWP Training Conference. Thanks to all who attended. Sharp looking group!



During the 2012 Conference I was invited to help celebrate the retirement of Inspector Shelly Ballard-McKinley (right) from the Saskatoon Police Service and Staff Sergeant Margaret Shorter (right) from the RCMP E Division.    Other notable Region 12 retirees included Sergeant Sharon Bach from the Edmonton Police Service, Superintendent Corrine Scott from the Winnipeg Police Service and Sergeant Anne Drennan from the Vancouver Police Service.  Collectively these women represent hundreds of years of police experience and will be missed among police colleagues.



These were the big stories from our Region for this year.  As we close off 2012 I am reminded of how fortunate we, and our families and friends, are to be healthy and safe.  Best wishes for a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year everyone!



Brave RCMP Officers say...."It Gets Better".

This news story just came out today and it is too good not to share with all of you.  Please follow the You Tube link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJDvetmwaKg  to see the stories of brave RCMP officers who have spoken out on thier personal experience as a gay/lesbian officer.

Congratulations to the Surrey (British Columbina, Canada) RCMP Detachement for becoming the Champions of this message and providing youth with the moral support...it gets better!

Be kind to each other everyone!  And be safe!
Sandra

Time to reflect on the journey...

The "Journey to the Edge" may now be over but the memories remain.  The Annual IAWP Parade of Nations was a spectacular event.  The streets of St. John's were lined with on lookers, cheering the IAWP delegates from 54 countries.

So proud to be Canadian!

Mounted Officers from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary led the parade.

Officers from Trinidad and Tobago on parade.

Winnipeg MP takes the Journey with IAWP

Winnipeg Member of Parliament Joy Smith helped open day of the Journey to the Edge - 50th Annual IAWP Training Conference in St. John's when she spoke of her work in combating human trafficking.  Joy Smith is well know in Canada for her historical work to create legislation to help law enforcement fight this crime.  She is also the "mom of a cop" and knows all too well the challenges we face in policing.

The first day proved to be another tremendous day of professional development.  Region 11 Coordinator, Leanne Fitch, informed me that the "First time to IAWP" session hosted 70 delegates for the session.  And everyone I talked with this morning was speaking highly of (retired) General Hillier keynote address on leadership.

Stay tuned tomorrow for updates on the Annual IAWP Awards Luncheon...and....IAWP 2014 hospitality night!

Good night from the rock!

The Journey has begun!

Sorry Folks...I have am a few days behind in my IAWP 2012 updates.  I arrived here in St. John's, Newfoundland on Thursday, September 6th and we have been busy ever since. 

The Board of Directors met on Friday and Saturday with our very own (Region 12) First Vice President Margaret Shorter chair of the meetings.  IAWP President Jane Townsley has been with the 2012 Olympics so Marg stepped in, doing a splendid job.  Jane arrived late yesterday, making it here in time to take part in the Opening Ceremonies and Parade of Nations.

And speaking of the Parade of Nations...truly amazing! 

I came here with full intentions of posting lots of pics...but forgot my battery charger.  I hope to have that issues solved by tomorrow so be sure to check back for further updates.

Well done to the 2012 Committee!  And Happy 50th Conference everyone!

News from Saskatoon

For those of you who travelled to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 2006 for the IAWP Annual Training Conference you may recall two key figures.  Inspector Shelley Ballard of the Saskatoon Police Service was Co-Director with Staff Sergeant Sue Grant.  Both have kept busy with life, family and careers over the past six years.

Inspector Shelley Ballard is about to retire from the SPS.  In fact I think she may already be started on her adventure in life.  I am sure her the SPS will miss her pleasant demeanour and strong work ethic.  Congratulations and best of luck in your next phase of life Shelley!

Staff Sergeant Sue Grant is sticking around the SPS and is keeping busy these days with her work on the new SPS Headquarters.  The Globe and Mail recently featured this project in a news article.  I invite you to take a look for yourself at some of the features of this new facility by following the link: http://www.police.saskatoon.sk.ca/index.php?loc=messages/newhq.php

St. John's, Newfoundland
For anyone still considering a trip...there is still time to register for the 50th Annual IAWP Training Conference in St. John's, Newfoundland.  If you are coming, then be sure to attend the IAWP 2014 Hospitality Night on Tuesday, September 11th at O'Reilly's Pub on George Street.  For those of you who can not attend, be sure to check back here for my postings and pics.

Happy Birthday Canada!

It has been a pretty busy weekend already.  All across the country the temperatures are high making for some very nice weather to draw large crowds to the various outdoor events to celebrate Canada Day.    Here in Winnipeg there are number of festivities taking place.

To all of you who are working today (like me) stay cool, stay hydrated and stay safe.

Happy Canada Day!

Marg on the Move...

Even back in March when we travelled to Abu Dhabi and Dhaka I knew that the time would pass quickly for Marg.  I knew that once we landed back in Canada she would be busy back at home with day to day events of family life.  She would be busy cleaning up loose ends at work in preparation for her retirement.
Well time did pass quickly and the day has come and gone.  Marg has now officially hung up that beautiful red serge and packed away the Stetson.  I asked Marg, not long ago, how she was feeling about retirement.  She was a bit of loss for words.  Can't say I blame her.  How do you capture 35 years of policing, wearing one of the most iconic police uniforms in the world? 

Don't for one moment think that retirement will slow her down.  I know that summer is going to kick off big time for Marg with lots going on at home.  Marg has also joined the student life again and is taking a Masters program in International Studies.  She will be travelling to Africa in late fall.  And...oh course she will be attending the 50th Annual IAWP Conference in St. John's this September.

Margaret in Abu Dhabi

Margaret in Bangladesh

Best wishes in all your future endeavours Marg!  I am sure you will have 35 more years of adventures!

I can hardly contain my JUBULATION!

On Monday, June 2, 2012 Corporal Gertrude Maxwell was presented with the Queen's Diamond Jubillee Medal.  Corporal Maxwell is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, stationed in Saskatchewan. 

If you attended to the 2006 Annual IAWP Training Conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, you will remember Gertrude as member of the host committee.  If you have attended to other IAWP Conferences, you probably recall Gertrude as a friendly Canadian face enjoying her time among other women officers.  If you know Gertrude on a personal level (like some many of us around Region 12) you will recognize that Gertrude is deserving of this recognition for her proactive, professional and compassionate approach to policing!

Congratualtions Gertrude.  We can hardly wait to see a picture!

Congratulations to...

...Sergeant Sharon Bach of the Edmonton Police Service on her retirement.  Sharon contacted me about a month ago to let me know that she was starting "pre-retirement" leave.  This marks the end of an absolutely stellar 30 year career.  Sharon may be better known to many IAWP friends as the Conference Director from the IAWP 2001 Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.   Please be sure to check the fall issue of Women Police for further highlights of Sharon's work and lifetime achievements.  In the meantime, please join me in wishing her luck as she moves the next phase in her life.

...Vancouver Police Department for their celebrations this year of 100 years of women in policing in the city.  The VPD is hosting a conference this fall (just after IAWP 2012) to mark this occassion.  The Vancouver Police Museum will creating special biographies of past and present women police.  I hope to keep in touch with one or two well known IAWP/VPD members and post thier bios here for you.  Be sure to check back over the summer!  For those of you wishing more information on this event, titled the Evolution of Policing, please follow this link to the registration page: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/forms/evolution-policing-registration.pdf

...to all police MOMs who work, drive kids to sporting events, take care of the house hold and manage to keep all of those balls in the air!  In fact....congratulations to all MOMs, whatever you do, for all that you do!

Happy Mother's Day everyone.

Annual Training

 WPS PWN 2012

The Winnipeg Police Service recently hosted the Annual Police women's Conference.  Deputy Chief Hart (left) attended to give the opening remarks.  The conference was held at the Red River College which is located across the street from the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters.





Sergeant Lisa Mandziak (below left) and Constable Andree Huberdeau (below right) provided the audience with an update of the IAWP 2014 planning process and promote the 50th Annual Training Conference Newfoundland.    They must have done a good job because several attendees have contacted me since the event and expressed an interest in helping out with event.



  



The true hit for the day was Hershey and her partner/handler Patrol Sergeant Maxine Sech.  Both Hershey and Patrol Sergeant Sech are part the Manitoba Ground Search and Recovery(GSAR) team.  If you or a loved are lost in the woods Hershey is at the ready  to find you.  Maxine did most of the talking on behalf of the pair (LOL) explaining the training and skills required to join the GSAR team. 

Hershey (featured below) was a bit shy about posing for a photo when she first came in. 

 Congratulations on another great training day for the organizers!

16 Days, 2 Conferences, 1 Global Message

A full week has passed since our historic IAWP journey to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for the 1st Emirates Women Police Conference. I have checked in with both Myra (below left) and Margaret (below right) and they report they are recovering from the jet lag, but still digesting the totality of our experiences. I am sure we will reflect on this for many years to come.

The IAWP was invited to take part in the Emirates Women Conference through the dedicated work on the Region 16 Coordinator, Steph Harding. During our time together, I learned that Steph has worked overseas in eight assignments. She is well versed in the customs of many countries and helped us to follow proper decorum while we were in UAE.

Steph worked hand in hand with the President of the newly affiliated Emirates Police Women Association, Amnah. IAWP board members were thrilled to learn that she will be taking a larger role on the IAWP board in the near future.

During the opening ceremonies (photo below) we had ample opportunity to meet and take photos with women from all over the middle east. This photo features IAWP board members with a police officer from Abu Dhabi police.

The photograph below features my name (top line) and my rank (bottom line) written in Arabic. The scrip is so beautiful I asked a member of the Abu Dhabi police to write it out for me. Over 700 delegates participated in this event, travelling from countries such as Amman, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Syria and all over the UAE. We were able to communicate with most in English and both Margaret and I even took advantage of our French to speak with officers from Syria. (Margaret is much more fluent than I am but I managed ...LOL...I have resolved to improve my oral French very soon!)

I must admit I was very naive about women in policing in the middle east. Officers from Jordan (below) told me that their country has advanced the rights of women for many years. Now, women are able to work in any police assignment that men can, they are afforded equal pay for equal work and they have full support of the government and the Jordanian Royal Family. The photograph below is me with a Forensic Specialist (far left), an officer on UN assignment (left of me), a Police Prosecutor (right of me) and the Officer in Charge (far right).

The Abu Dhabi Police have set a very high standard for conferences. However, when we parted ways, many of the delegates were busy talking and planning for the second women police conference in the region. Clearly, the presentations on leadership, forensics, Interpol, and career planning started the momentum to continue with training for future generations of women police.

1st Asia Region Women Police Conference

Dhaka, Bangladesh was our IAWP home for the second week of the journey. In the photo above I am standing with officer from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, which is a division of the Bangladesh National Police.

The entire city was decorated, much like the driveway here, with posters and flags in honour of this conference. This photo (above) is the view approaching the dorm at the Bangladesh Police Staff College. The IAWP board meeting took place here and so did the program portion of the Asian Women Police Conference. It proved to be a fantastic venue for both events.

Region 3 Coordinator, Donna Saucier (above right) poses with one of the two officer from Indonesia (above left) who attended the conference in Dhaka. The Indonesian officers were proud to stand up and invite all delegates to attend the Second Annual Asia Women Police Conference in Indonesia next year.


Region 15 Coordinator Amena Begum put hours of effort into coordinating this conference. During the "Developing Women Police Leadership" panel discussion she spoke up and stated that she was a "situational leader" in that she was given the situation of coordinating the conference and simply rose to the challenge. I think she is being a bit modest in her efforts. This conference attracted officers from Indonesia, Pakistan, Maldives, and Nepal.

The conference topics covered included Domestic Violence investigations, leadership, gender specific policing, and an introduction to UN Police missions. My only regret...I could not take in every session...

The photo above features me and Donna Saucier in front of one of the hundreds of banners displayed for the opening ceremony. Donna was photographed as frequently as Margaret in her Delaware State Police uniform.

What next?

That is the question I was asked repeatedly in Abu Dhabi and in Dhaka. I now realize that I have so much more to learn about women in policing in other countries. Some have very similar challenges to us in Canada...work/life balance and juggling family priorities for example...and some have very unique challenges...overcoming a society views that still believes women should not work as police officers, that we may not be strong enough.

The future is exciting for women in policing and for IAWP. I look forward to many more global events where women can share experiences and challenge each other to think in new ways. We have started a wave of dialogue that will only help to strengthen women in policing all over the world.

The global message I want to leave all of you with is borrowed from the Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police who stated during his remarks at the Opening Ceremony "The nation should be proud of you for taking up this challenging career."

We should all be proud of ourselves!

Bangladesh Police break new ground

It was a packed agenda and a full house for the 1st Asia Women Police Conference held this past week in Dahka, Bangladesh. The conference began with an Opening Ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel. By the time honored guests took to the stage (featured below) there were more news cameras than I have ever seen before in one room.

Mylan Masson (below right) and a female police peacekeeper (below left) wait for the opening ceremony to begin. The conference was partly sponsored by the UNDP. I was very impressed to learn that Bangladesh is the largest contributing nation of female police peacekeepers. They have sent two full female police units to UN missions in the last few years.

Margaret is featured here with Sadia (below right) who was our host at the Bangladesh Police Staff College. She is an instructor at the college.

The conference featured many sessions on female police leadership. This panel featured high ranking officers from (left to right) Pakistan, South Africa, IAWP (President Townsley) and Bangladesh. This session generated much discusssion among the audience and panelists.

Our new UN friend gave her unique perspective on the importance of police women on UN missions. She has been on both sides of the line in post conflict situations because she grew up in war torn country.

I can say enough about the effort of IAWP Region 15 Coordinator Amena Begum to coordinate this conference. In her own words she used Situational Leadership because she was put into the situation of pulling this successful event together in just under one year! She has reason to be smile.

Congratulations to the Bangladesh Police and the Bangladesh Police Women Network for a wonderful conference. IAWP looks forward to the Second Annual Conference next year in Indonesia.

On to Bangladesh

We have now moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh for the second part of our historic journey. Myra and I, like the other IAWP delegates, took advantage of a few hours rest because we arrived at 3:30 a.m. I think we look rested here. This photo is taken on the front porch of the Bangladesh Staff College which is our home for this week.



As we drove up the long approach to the College, we all observed these wonderful purple posters. I made Myra pose beside this one which featured a photo of her taken at the Minneapolis 2010 Conference. These posters are everywhere in the city to highlight the 1st Asia Region Women Police Conference.

There is an air of festivity surrounding this conference. That is the reason why the flags are out along the College drive. The conference opening ceremony will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel downtown (tomorrow morning) but the conference program will take place here at the Bangladesh Staff College.

The last official day of our conference the Abu Dhabi police took several visiting agencies, including IAWP Board members, on a tour of the city. Myra (left) myself and Margaret (right) thouroughly enjoyed our trip to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.




There are really no words to describe how breathtaking this site is. So...I will just let you take a look for yourself.

Remember the storm I told you about the other night? Well...just like cleaning up after a Canadian snow storm, workers here were sweeping out sand from one of the reflecting pools.

The second stop on our tour was Ferrari World. I plan on making a request to the Chief when I get home for one of these cars. Truly ... a Traffic Cop's dream car!

How the time flies...

...when you are enjoying yourself!

The First Women Police Conference 2012 in Abu Dhabi wrapped up yesterday. Everyone involved in this event, organizers, sponsors, trainers and staff should be very proud of this event. This was on a level equal to any of the Annual IAWP Training Conference I have attended. And many of the Board of Directors/Board of Trustees who are here will agree with me.

I took in more excellent training sessions on Day 2. The first, as you see below, was on strategic leadership. The room was full of people and energy and we all took away good tips for our personal leadership development.



Mylan Masson (left) me and Deb Friedl (right) were seated early for the strategic leadership session so that we did not miss anything. I have enjoyed talking with Mylan this week and hearing about her previous IAWP trip to this area in 1998. This conference represents an enormous shift in opportunities for women according to Mylan.



A conference delegate (left) asks questions after the presentation. It is always a good sign that questions flow after the formal part of the session. Clearly, the learning had just begun.

The second session of the day for me was Interpol, presented by a Colonel with the Abu Dhabi Police.

Abu Dhabi is one of 190 member countries to Interpol. Interestingly, I have never previously had the opportunity to learn about Interpol so I took lots of information away from this session. For instance, Interpol maintains a DNA Gateway (database) and Abu Dhabi is the country in the middle east that is connected to it.

Margaret Shorter has also been busy this week. Not only has she taken in many sessions here, but she was assigned more formal duties such as attending government meetings. That beautiful red serge had lots of use of this week. She did enjoy more "casual" dress for Day 2 though.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Abu Dhabi Police and to the conference organizers Amnah and Steph! This was a fantastic event and I look forward to IAWP events in this area!

Abu Dhabi at night

Both photos - Emirates Palace Hotel