(St. John’s, NL), September 15, 2023 – Seven Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) officers were recognized today for their dedication to removing impaired drivers from our roadways.

MADD Canada hosted the annual Team Nick Coates Awards today at RCMP-NL headquarters, located on East White Hills in St. John’s. The award is named in honour of Nick Coates, who was killed by an impaired driver in August of 2013. The awards recognize police officers for their efforts to detect and apprehend impaired drivers. Officers who have taken a minimum of 12 impaired drivers off the roads during the previous year receive the Gold Award. Officers who have taken at least eight impaired drivers off the roads during the previous year receive the Silver Award.

In 2022 alone in RNC jurisdiction, there were over 2,000 calls for service related to impaired driving which resulted in over 600 associated police interventions.

The RNC would like to congratulate the following officers for their dedication to increasing safety in our communities:

Silver

Cst. Michael Carter – 10 arrests, RNC Provincial Headquarters, St. John’s.
Cst. Shane McClafferty – Nine arrests, Mount Pearl Detachment.
Cst. Terence Reid – Eight arrests – Mount Pearl Detachment.

Gold

Cst. Kurt Etchegary – 12 arrests, RNC Provincial Headquarters, St. John’s.
Cst. Geoffrey Heffernan – 17 arrests, Mount Pearl Detachment.
Cst. Cody Langmead – 103 arrests, RNC Provincial Headquarters, St. John’s.
Cst. Bernard Morgan – 27 arrests, Labrador West Detachment.

Cst. Cody Langmead was additionally recognized as a Top Performer.

The RNC is dedicated to removing impaired drivers from our communities, and we continue to increase the number of officers trained as breath technicians and drug recognition experts.

The RNC encourages anyone who suspects another of impaired driving to please call 709-729-8000. You can also provide information anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.nlcrimestoppers.com or by using the P3Tips app #SayItHere.

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Cst. James. C. Cadigan #775
Media Relations & Public Communication
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
media@rnc.gov.nl.ca