Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Today, RCMP NL congratulates five RCMP police officers from this province who have been inducted into the Nick Coates Impaired Driving Team for 2022 by MADD Canada.
Nick Coates’ Team is a program that recognizes dedicated police officers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador who diligently work to reduce the number of drivers on the road impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.
The team is named for Nicholas Coates, who was killed by an alcohol-impaired driver in 2013. While this initiative is named after Nick Coates, its purpose is to honour all survivors and victims of impaired driving.
“Impaired driving continues to have devastating impacts on individuals and families in this province, which is very unfortunate given these impacts are entirely preventable,” said RCMP NL Commanding Officer Jennifer Ebert. “I commend MADD Canada on its important work and for recognizing our police officers for their commitment to making roads safer for everyone.”
To be part of the Nick Coates’ Team, an officer is required to have removed eight or more impaired drivers from the province’s roadways from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. The awards are classified into two categories:
- Gold – 12 or more impaired drivers
- Silver – minimum of 8 impaired drivers
This year’s recipients are:
- Corporal Raymond Whalen – Bell Island – Gold
- Constable Caleb Pellerin – Traffic Services West – Deer Lake – Gold
- Constable Cassandra Barker – Clarenville – Silver
- Constable Jules Gittens – Stephenville – Silver
- Constable MacKenzie McCoy – Harbour Grace – Silver
An award for the top performer was introduced by MADD Canada for the first time this year. With 57 impaired drivers apprehended, RCMP NL congratulates Constable Caleb Pellerin, who received this prestigious award.
RCMP NL congratulates this year’s Nick Coates Impaired Driving Team recipients on a job well done in the apprehension of impaired drivers. Your contributions towards road safety are to be commended!