Previous Heroes Beyond the Badge Award Winners

We honour the outstanding work of Constables Jessie Oldfield, Kathleen Petersen, Melinda Mantle and Claudia Bednarczyk, part of a team of police officers from the Toronto Police Service, for their leadership in organizing and expanding the Young Women Empowerment Workshop, a vital initiative aimed at educating and inspiring female youth in the Malvern and greater Scarborough communities.

Originally launched before the COVID-19 pandemic in response to concerns about the trafficking of young women in the Malvern area, the Young Women Empowerment Workshop was developed collaboratively by officers, the Community Crisis Response Program (CCRP), and local partners. After a temporary hiatus, the program resumed post-pandemic with an expanded format — and has continued to grow in both scope and impact. 

We honour Hamilton Police Service Detective Constable Robert Glanfield in recognition of his role and dedication to The Streets to Wilderness Algonquin Mentoring Program for Youth (SWAMPY).

SWAMPY is a Hamilton Police Service initiative which began in 2008 with the goal of building and strengthening relationships between police officers and youth within the community. Detective Constable Glanfield’s compassion, dedication, inclusivity, professionalism and collaboration demonstrates policing excellence, as well as commitment to community safety and well-being.

We honour North Bay Police Service Constable Sue Solman in recognition of her advocacy and compassion for mental health, both in her own service and her community.

Constable Solman was one the officers assigned to the Mobile Crisis Response when it was first initiated in North Bay and has since taken an invested role in that project, setting the bar for how the program should run. She advocated and promoted the HealthIM app (software which supports first responders during emergency mental health crisis calls), and In addition to helping the most vulnerable members of the North Bay community, she holds space for other officers to come and talk out things they encounter on the road.

We honour Ontario Provincial Police Constable Keith Lindley in recognition of his exceptional service and dedication to keeping community members safe. 

When a citizen was involved in a single-vehicle motor vehicle collision on an Ontario highway. PC Lindley stayed with the family until an on-duty OPP officer arrived to take over the scene. He assisted with towing the vehicle and provided direction on where to go to report the incident. Despite being off-duty and having his personal time interrupted, PC Lindley indicated that his main concern was the safety of the family and getting them to a safe location.  

We honour Toronto Police Service Detective Sergeant Michael Palermo and Police K-9 Luke in recognition of their exceptional service and dedication to keeping community members safe.

In late October 2023, an elderly individual suffering from dementia and other conditions went missing. Within minutes, D/Sgt. Mike Palermo and his K-9 partner, Luke, responded with accurate assessments, clear communications, and efficient deployment. D/Sgt. Palermo persisted through multiple challenges and rough terrain, and within an hour, the person was located. D/Sgt. Palermo rendered aid and coordinated paramedic response, effectively saving the citizen's life. 

We honour York Regional Police Detective Constable Jonath Chow for his positive and meaningful contributions to the Asian/Chinese community in York Region and Greater Toronto Area (GTA). D/Cst. Chow’s initiatives have allowed YRP to ensure citizens feel safe and secure through excellence in policing.

Through various community partnerships, D/C Chow provided YRP the opportunity to educate and inform the Asian/Chinese community about intimate partner violence, sexual assault, crimes against children, as well as on property related crimes and prevention. He also recruited representatives from social service agencies in York Region to inform residents about assistance available to them. These high quality policing services ensure that York Region residents feel that they belong.