May 16th, the AACP held an awards banquet celebrating the extraordinary contributions of Police Officers across Alberta. Two of our officers were excited to be recognized during National Police Week.
Cst. Rayn Boyko received an award under the category of ‘Crime Prevention & Community Policing Initiatives’ in recognition of her passion and dedication in the creation and ongoing sustainment of the Calgary Police Service Power Play Program. Because of her efforts, more than 500 children have not only learned to skate, but have also developed crucial relationships with positive mentors in their community. The Power Play program is a free drop-in program that engages 70 to 100 youth (ages six to 17), on a weekly basis from October to March each year. It gives the youth the opportunity to learn how to skate while interacting with Calgary Police officers in a safe and supportive environment. Power Play provides Calgary’s vulnerable youth with healthy sport-related activities for the critical after-school hours – the time youth are most likely to be tempted by high-risk, criminal behavior.
Cst. Mike Yanko received the ‘Community Service’ award in recognition of the 2,500+ hours of volunteer contributions that he has made outside of his regular policing duties. Cst. Yanko has spent the past 12 years volunteering with the Calgary Youth Justice Society. His involvement in this unique program addresses the complexities of youth crime in a way that supports the success of the volunteers and the Youth Justice program as a whole, while steering young people away from further criminal activity. He has trained more than 500 volunteers that have gone on to adjudicate approximately 9,000 youth that have been referred to the committee through the Extra Judicial Sanctions Program within the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
We’d like to congratulate both of these officers, and are proud to have them as part of our team!