OPP Officer of the Year

OPP Staff Sergeant Wes Moore had an easy job this year when he wrote about the Chamber of Commerce Officer of the Year award recipient from the local Sault detachment.

He let a note from Assistant Crown Attorney Kelly Weeks tell most of the story for him.

Here's what Moore said about Constable Jamie Appleton.

************************ It is my pleasure to nominate Constable Jamie Appleton as Sault Ste. Marie Detachement Officer of the Year for 2008.

Jamie has served the citizens of Ontario for 21 years.

Jamie is the recipient of the Canadian Police Exemplary Service Medal.

A Saultite, Jamie began his policing career in January of 1988.

He was posted to Kakabeka Falls Detachment, west of Thunder Bay.

In 1991 he transferred to Wawa Detachment, returning home to Sault Ste. Marie in the fall of 1997.

Jamie is a 17-year veteran of the OPP emergency response team.

He is considered one of the lead search masters in the OPP.

Every year, Jamie teaches new ERT members on the search management portion of their grueling 12-week training regime.

He recently spent three months as acting sergeant in charge of provincial search and rescue coordination.

Jamie has a passion for hunting and fishing.

He has been an OHL linesman for nine years.

Jamie has been supported in his career by his wife of 23 years, Megan.

Jamie and Megan have four children, daughters Carissa age 23, Chanda age 18, Cara age 16 and their son Caile age 21.

Jamie brings the same passion he has for his family and hobbies to his work.

This brings me to why Constable Appleton is this year's nominee for Sault Ste. Marie Detachment's Police Officer of the Year Award.

Rather than me speaking to this officer's contribution to policing in Sault Ste. Marie, I would like to quote from a letter written by Assistant Crown Attorney Kelly Weeks on October 21, 2008.

I am writing to you at this time to express my sincere admiration and respect for the way in which Constable Appleton conducted himself during the course of the investigation of the matter involving Jeanette Niganobe on the evening of May 14, 2006 and the subsequent court appearances.

The situation that Constable Appleton found himself in on May 14, 2006 and its aftermath is one which can only be described as a "worst nightmare situation."

Two on-duty Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officers were involved in a motor vehicle collision involving an impaired driver.

One of the officers was killed in the accident, the other seriously injured.

Constable Appleton, as a qualified intoxilizer technician, was called to the Sault Area Hospital to obtain samples from the accused.

The behaviour of the accused that night toward law enforcement, emergency service, and medical personnel was categorized by the presiding judge as "agitated, irrational, belligerent, uncooperative, loud, verbally and physically aggressive, insulting, taunting, and profane in the extreme."

It was in this context that Constable Appleton was tasked with obtaining breath samples suitable for analysis from Jeanette Niganobe.

He did so successfully.

On that evening he conducted himself in a truly professional manner and completed a difficult task in an exemplary fashion notwithstanding the circumstances that a fellow officer had just died.

Equally impressive was the manner in which Constable Appleton testified throughout these proceedings.

He was called to the witness stand at the preliminary inquiry, two separate charter applications brought by the accused, as well as the jury trial.

He once again demonstrated his professionalism and calmness under pressure.

His evidence was pivotal to the case.

His actions and demeanour throughout these proceedings is a true credit to not only himself, but to the Ontario Provincial Police and police at large.

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