![Male police officer speaks to pregnant woman carrying bags in forested area.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/cover_0.jpg?sc=ad68882c1d8cda431f5a695d9fbc4c6a)
Vol. 80, No. 1
Simply great police work Stories from the front line
Table of contents
Editorial message
![Two police officers speak to a man in dense forest.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/editorial2.jpg?sc=696373fc210f6c1d518ccb0c2ad69bb5)
Making a difference
Much like the variety of police work itself, our cover section is filled with an incredible diversity of stories about employees across the country who are working hard to make a difference in their communities.
News notes
![Selfie of RCMP police officer with a group of young people behind him.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/option4.jpg?sc=0ffee95ebb8a0ca33b4b376be49d1c1b)
Distracted drivers get second chance
Sgt. Darrin Turnbull catches drivers using cellphones daily. While the $287 ticket and three demerit points are meant to act as a deterrent, he says it's not always the case.
![Female police officer sitting in front of screen holding a driving wheel.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/ukraine.jpg?sc=9e2485b34691a71344dc6c879fcd0ee9)
Ukrainian police talk training with RCMP
Top police officials from Ukraine visited Depot, the RCMP's national training centre in Regina, Sask., to learn how the RCMP trains its police this past September.
![Four young men standing on a boat with city in the background.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/keepstaight-socialmedia.jpg?sc=d5e76c18f504cac8f59205a75617ea3e)
Drug awareness program gets real
Project Keep Straight is a peer-to-peer drug-awareness program for youth created by the non-profit organization Odd Squad Productions, which is run by active and retired police officers from Vancouver.
![Two police officers (one male, one female) and three community members stand in front of wooden structure with hanging lifejackets.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/lifejacket.jpg?sc=e502541b6ac0b005170028c70be684a4)
Lifejacket loan promotes water safety
A loan-and-return station with 100 lifejackets is helping residents in Old Crow, Yukon, stay safe on the water. The life preservers are free for anyone to borrow, and come in a variety of sizes to fit children, youth and adults.
Cover stories
![A man addresses worshippers at a mosque.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/hate-crime.jpg?sc=a3efc1971a5ca193d83bdf6989435831)
Positive presence
Side by side, two police officers stand at the front of a mosque addressing the crowd on a Friday night during the holy month of Ramadan.
![Graffiti on highway underpass.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/graffiti_0.jpg?sc=7c0f1c3c8215bde47126c3863db14e45)
Making a mark on graffiti
In summer 2014, a surge in graffiti vandalism left downtown Moncton spattered with tags.
![One female and four male police officers in t-shirts sit in back of ambulance.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/river-rescue.jpg?sc=e07dfa7168cf04be8bba134b1ed5e7db)
River rescue
When Cst. Mitchell Coffin heard the dispatch room at the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP detachment get quiet, he knew something was amiss. The silence was unusual for the bustling detachment, which sits just north of Edmonton.
![Pale green overturned boat in water near beach with sticks.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/boat-rescue.jpg?sc=ac2fd82f523f1caf2c968c835eb0eb5c)
A speck on the horizon
Cpl. Stacy Morton and Cst. Jeff Prevett were wrapping up a long day patrolling the Canada-United States border when they spotted something unusual.
![Police officer with dog on a leash in the forest.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/autism.jpg?sc=50747cdcbf9c65c85049560825aae874)
Lost and found
When the RCMP is called to find a missing person, it becomes an all-hands-on-deck situation very quickly. The response is further amplified when that missing person has a developmental disorder such a
![Male police officer facing group of people walking toward him.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/asylum1.jpg?sc=d1d09be10b7792e19d4f26b6882d900a)
In search of a better life
It was a long night at the RCMP detachment-turned-processing centre in Lacolle, Quebec. Asylum seekers were doing their best to get comfortable, huddled up with blankets, to get some sleep.
Health and wellness
![Man running on a mountain trail.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/fitness.jpg?sc=63727bd1a12f6d3dfd432215c0a90929)
Add up the benefits of exercise
Growing up, Cst. Kevin Barata was always active and fit. But with the start of a new job, moving to a new province and a new marriage, Barata let exercise fall to the bottom of his priorities.
Panel discussion
![Two male police officers and three men stand together outdoors to discuss a case.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/panel-discussion-main.jpg?sc=78f2c5729461accb76c82fc59865003b)
What qualities lead to great police work?
Great police work can mean different things to different people. We asked RCMP employees in a wide range of fields to identify what qualities they associate with outstanding results.
Ask an expert
![Male police officer talking on cellphone.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/expert-1.jpg?sc=bd6beac83ad4192a43c7d64f54280b83)
Listening saves lives
When a supervisor took note of Sgt. Donovan Tait's calming influence and superior listening skills, he encouraged him to pursue a specialized career in crisis negotiation. Amelia Thatcher spoke with him to see how he handles charged crisis situations.
Just the facts
![Cars at accident scene.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/shutterstock_239155486.jpg?sc=53cd31bfd2a466854261dfdedd9a7577)
Impaired driving
Driving impaired greatly increases the risk of a serious accident. It's why driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a crime under the Criminal Code of Canada.
On the leading edge
![A male police officer and three researchers look at papers in front of a police cruiser alongside a remote highway.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/hitchhiking.jpg?sc=70cb80a949f1de0e90f2abbd366de981)
Highway 16
Murders and disappearances on northern B.C.'s highways have occurred for more than 40 years. But they remained relatively unknown for decades perhaps because the majority are Indigenous.
Emerging trends
![Three women and a man sit around a table with a female police officer](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/restorative-justice.jpg?sc=82b77b15d92cb0eab46af61ff606d827)
A second chance for adults
One night after drinking too much, two young adults stole a Canadian flag hanging outside the Royal Canadian Legion in Colchester County, N.S.
Featured submission
![A bag full of counterfeit bills.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/counterfeit.jpg?sc=751ff09642bfc0ea8116cbd495b190e1)
Combatting counterfeit currency
From 2014 to 2016, the Integrated Counterfeit Enforcement Team (ICET) in Quebec identified a counterfeiting network that was making and uttering bogus $100 banknotes.
![Un policier et son chien.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/pds-online.jpg?sc=c89284674ae2ccdf7f19025cdc9da7b8)
Tenacious teamwork
On Sept. 1, 2017, at 3:30 a.m., Nanaimo RCMP received a call from the security unit of a local mill site reporting that they saw two people in the building in the process of stealing copper wire.
![Man offering care package to a homeless man in a snowstorm.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/homeless.jpg?sc=beff84f86e22e149a7f313b9bf503668)
Winter warmth
Cpl. Randy Wong knows very well how sharp the biting cold can be on the North Shore, particularly for those without the warm comfort of their own home.
Best practice
![A police officer putting a sticker on a bike.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/biketheft.jpg?sc=87a2860e9dbfeedef6ac98886f420807)
Getting a grip on bike theft
For the first time in a decade, bike theft in Richmond, B.C., is on the decline after the local RCMP partnered with an online bicycle registration and recovery service called 529 Garage.
Last page
![Kids stand on tight rope strung between trees in forest](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/niigan-mosewak.jpg?sc=8a6c75af0a577dc023b044f2eda4c883)
Moving youth forward
Each morning before the fun and games begin, youth at Niigan Mosewak summer camp gather in a circle to share their stories. But they aren't your typical campfire tales.
![Cover of magazine](/sites/default/files/vol80-no1-eng.jpg)
NOTE: An electronic version of this issue of Gazette magazine is available.
Masthead
- Publisher:
- Kevin Fowler
- Editor:
-
- Katherine Aldred
- Writers:
-
- Deidre Seiden
Amelia Thatcher
- Deidre Seiden
- Web publisher:
- Richard Vieira
- Graphic design:
- Lisa McDonald-Bourg and Jennifer Wale
- Translation:
- RCMP Translation Services
- Printing:
- St. Joseph Communications
- Date modified: