ST. PAUL – Two officers from the St. Paul RCMP detachment have been recognized for their dedication to road safety, each awarded the Cpl. Cummings gold award.
The award, named after RCMP Cpl. Graeme Cumming, an officer who was killed while on duty by an impaired driver in Lethbridge in 1998, is presented annually by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada.
The award is given to officers who have a high level of impaired driving investigations. The silver award is given to members who completed between 15 to 24 impaired driving investigations within a year, while the gold award is given to those who completed over 25 investigations.
Cpl. Jeff Schneider has been with the St. Paul detachment since May 2014. Last year, he completed 33 impaired driving investigations and was awarded his first gold award. Schneider has also been recognized twice in the past, according to information from St. Paul RCMP.
Cst. Mark Topolinski, who was also recognized in the past, also earned his first gold award. Topolinski has been with the detachment since March 2021, and completed 25 impaired investigations in 2023.
Both were presented with a plaque by MADD Canada.
“To have two members in our detachment having achieved that high level says a lot about our members and the high quality of service we seek to provide to St. Paul and area,” said Staff Sgt. Dennis Silliker.
Sgt. Andrew Druhan also expressed pride in his fellow officers.
“We are proud of the work and commitment Cpl. Schneider and Cst. Topolinski have shown to remove impaired drivers from Alberta roads, and they are honoured to be recipients of this award.”