2012 Police officers of the Month Awards, TPS Business Excellence Awards Presentation

Toronto Police Service News Release

Media advisory, Thursday, May 16, 2013, 1:30 p.m., Headquarters lobby, 2012 Police officers of the Month Awards, TPS Business Excellence Awards Presentation

Thursday, May 16, 2013 - 5:10 AM
Professional Standards
416-808-7096

On Thursday, May 16, 2013, at 1:30 p.m., in the lobby of police headquarters, 26 members of the Toronto Police Service will be recognized for bravery, humanitarianism, superior investigative work and overall outstanding police skills as they receive awards for 2012 Police Officers of the Month.

Additionally, the TPS Business Excellence Award will be presented to five serving members of the Service and one retired member, for innovation, community service, technical achievement, customer service and reliability.

The presentation will be hosted by Christopher Worth, Chair of the Police Officer of The Year awards. Click here for program.


The following is a list of 51 Division Police Officers of the Month recipients for 2012: 

JULY 
PC MILLS, Brad (10523) 51 Division

On July 6, 2011 a call came over the radio for a man who had fallen into a creek and was still under water. 
Constables Glen Espie and Brad Mills quickly responded and were met by a panicked woman. She told the officers that her husband had fallen in the creek and that he was still under water. Constables Espie and Mills removed their police equipment and entered the swirling water, which was chest deep. 

Constable Christopher MacDonald arrived on scene and also removed his police equipment and entered the water. A short time later, he located the man underneath the swirling rapids. Constables Espie, Mills, Pietro Grande and Daryl Gibson brought the victim to the surface. A nurse, who was in the company of the officers, started CPR. The man was taken to hospital but unfortunately he did not survive. 

IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR BRAVE ACTIONS AND DEDICATIONTO DUTY, CONSTABLES GLEN ESPIE, DARYL GIBSON, PIETRO GRANDE, CHRISTOPHER MacDONALD AND BRAD MILLS HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS POLICE OFFICERS OF THE MONTH FOR JULY 2012. 


DECEMBER 
PC FUJINO, Alan (4658) Formerly of 51 Division
On May 29, 1993 police were contacted regarding a missing woman and her 1½ year-old daughter. The mother had left Toronto with the child following a custody dispute. A warrant was issued for Abduction in Contravention of a Custody Order. 

The child’s disappearance was registered with missing children’ agencies in Canada and the United States. Over the course of 18 years, the police, missing children’s agencies and the father of the abducted child followed up on tips of possible sightings and information. 

In September 2011, a tip was received through the Missing Children Society of Canada indicating that the woman might be living on Vancouver Island under an assumed name. After working with several police agencies and conducting an investigation, Constable Alan Fujino eliminated Persons of Interest with similar names as the one provided via the tip. 

In addition to police surveillance on various addresses, Constable Fujino utilized facial recognition software to compare a historical photograph of the suspect with a current driver’s license photo of a woman believed to be living under a new name similar to that offered in the tip. The Crown’s Office requested that all reasonable efforts be made to absolutely confirm the suspect in British Columbia was the wanted woman. 

Through a variety of investigative means, Constable Fujino was able to locate a tissue sample from 1988 suitable for DNA comparison, obtained a warrant to seize the sample for analysis, and requested Victoria Police obtain a discarded DNA sample from the woman for comparison. 

During this time, social media was utilized to locate the missing child, who was now attending a university in south Ontario. 

On November 28, 2011, the Centre of Forensic Sciences announced a positive DNA match, confirming the identity of the woman. Constable Fujino coordinated with Victoria Police and, in December 2011. The woman was arrested. 

Constable Fujino arranged for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, based in Manitoba, to assist him with the difficult task of notifying the now 20-year-old daughter of her true identity and of the sequence of events that had taken place since 1993. 

The woman was eventually returned to Toronto to answer to the charge of Abduction. 

A search warrant was executed at the woman’s home in Victoria, B.C. and evidence suggests that the suspect and her child, under assumed names, initially fled to Vancouver Island, crossed the border into the United States, and lived in at least three different states. They then went to Ireland, where they remained for seven years until returning to Vancouver Island where she was arrested. 

Furthermore, several Production Orders were completed by Constable Fujino and served on Ontario government agencies on behalf of B.C. authorities who began to investigate the suspect’s fraudulent identifications obtained in their province. 

IN RECOGNITION OF HIS SUPERIOR INVESTIGATIVE WORK AND OUTSTANDING POLICE SKILLS, CONSTABLE ALAN FUJINO HAS BEEN SELECTED AS POLICE OFFICER OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER 2012. 

Click here to watch the promotional video for the Toronto Region Board of Trade's 46th Annual Police Officer of the Year Awards dinner event.

Constable Wendy Drummond, Corporate Communications, for Superintendent Hugh Ferguson, Professional Standards

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