Fundraiser honours Durham cops
Oct 24, 2008 - 05:10 PM
By Jeff Mitchell
AJAX -- Given the choice between being singled out for recognition by a roomful of colleagues and community members and running into a burning building, Bradley Browne would likely opt for the burning building.
The Durham Region police constable was among those recognized Thursday night when the annual Police Appreciation Dinner and Awards Night, a fundraiser organized by community volunteers, was held in Ajax. Const. Browne was recognized for the bravery he displayed when he rushed into a burning Oshawa rooming house last November, helping several people to safety.
When cornered by the media the modest Const. Browne insisted he's no more worthy of recognition than any of the other 800-plus Durham cops who don their uniforms and do their job each and every day.
"I'm really humbled by it all," he said, standing outside an ornate ballroom at the Deer Creek golf and banquet facility.
"There were people in danger and they needed help; that's why I acted," Const. Browne said.
"I think anybody would have done the same thing."
The sixth annual awards night once again highlighted valour, dedication and professionalism on the part of Durham's finest. Awards also went to:
- Const. Andrew Tummonds, whose dogged work on a missing person report led to the discovery of the suicidal woman in a hotel in Peel Region. She was taken to hospital where she was provided with care and counselling for depression.
- Const. Ron Crouch, who followed up on concerns raised about an elderly couple who were being taken advantage of by relatives. Working with the public trustee's office, Const. Crouch ensured the couple, in their 80s, were protected financially and properly cared for.
- Members of Durham's Drug Enforcement Unit, who conducted two complex operations -- Project Lynx and Project Merlin. Lynx resulted in more than 30 arrests and the seizure of drugs valued at $6 million, including a massive marijuana crop in north Durham worth $4 million. Merlin tapped into a smuggling operation that saw cocaine loaded onto commercial flights from the Dominican Republic to Toronto; more than $3 million in cocaine was seized along with 12 firearms and 250 charges were laid against 13 people, including a member of the Hells Angels and a baggage handler at Pearson airport.
- Members of the Nuclear Safety Division, whose operations included a large-scale training exercise last April that simulated a terror attack on a nuclear facility.
- Sergeant Tom Hart, whose 25 years of volunteer service included working with Big Brothers. In 1983 Sgt. Hart was matched with an 11-year-old boy who eventually became a police officer and now serves with Durham police.
- Rookie Constable Josh Conner, who followed his instincts in investigating two suspicious men in November 2007. The men fled and were tracked down by cops, who charged them in connection with a violent home-invasion robbery.
Funds raised by the Appreciation Night support a number of police initiatives and programs.
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