By CHIEF ROB DUTTCHEN, Corman Park Police Service
Seven of the eleven patrol members who served with the Corman Park Police Service in 2025 were honoured in Saskatoon on September 21 for their work to combat impaired driving. The recognition reflects their commitment to keeping our communities safe, a responsibility that continues long before and after an awards ceremony.
The CPPS members were among 213 Saskatchewan officers being recognized through this year’s MADD Canada Van de Vorst Family Police Awards for their enforcement work in 2025
CPPS recipients included Constables Cowan, Rathgeber, St Arnaud, Beochler, Gordon, Milton and Lawrence. Across the province, the officers receiving these awards were responsible for enforcement involving nearly 4,200 impaired drivers.
The week leading up to the ceremony offered several examples of why this work remains so important. On the evening of September 14, CPPS members travelling through Saskatoon stopped a vehicle for a moving violation near Idylwyld Drive and 71st Street. The vehicle also had an obstructed licence plate. Officers identified the driver and learned that he was wanted for driving while disqualified.
After arresting the driver, officers noted signs of alcohol consumption. A roadside breath test produced a reading of 30 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. Given the driver’s licensing status, his vehicle was impounded for 120 days, and he received a further 37-day driving prohibition. He was released at the scene with a notice to appear in court.
Shortly after midnight on September 15, a CPPS officer patrolling Highway 219 stopped a vehicle that was speeding and had a defective taillight. The driver showed signs of alcohol impairment and registered a “fail” on a roadside screening device.
The driver was taken to the Saskatoon RCMP detachment, where further testing produced readings of 160 and 140 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. He was released into the care of a sober adult with an appearance notice requiring him to attend court and have his fingerprints taken.
Late on September 16, a CPPS member working with partner agencies at the Langham weigh scale stopped a commercial vehicle driver who showed signs of alcohol and possible drug impairment. Although a roadside breath test registered a low alcohol reading and did not produce a “fail,” the investigation continued.
The officer demanded that the driver complete standardized field sobriety testing, on which he performed poorly. The commercial vehicle was impounded, and the driver’s licence was suspended at the roadside. Impaired driving is dangerous in any vehicle, but the size, stopping distances and limited manoeuvrability of large commercial vehicles make these incidents particularly concerning.
Around midnight on September 17, a CPPS member encountered a pedestrian walking on the highway near the junction of Highways 11 and 12. The man was wanted on multiple warrants from Meadow Lake.
After receiving direction from the originating police agency, CPPS provided him with a date to attend court and have his fingerprints taken. The officer then transported him to an agency in Saskatoon that provides services to people experiencing homelessness.
On September 19, a CPPS officer patrolling Highway 16 recorded an eastbound vehicle travelling at 131 km/h in a 110 km/h zone. The officer stopped the vehicle and issued a speeding ticket.
During the roadside conversation, the driver admitted to consuming alcohol despite a licence restriction requiring a zero blood alcohol concentration while driving. A roadside breath test produced a reading of 47 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The driver’s vehicle was impounded for three days, and his licence was suspended.
Even on the morning of the September 21 awards ceremony, the work continued. In separate traffic stops on Highway 219, two CPPS officers arrested drivers suspected of being impaired by cocaine. Both officers processed the arrested drivers before attending the ceremony to receive their awards.
We are proud of our members and grateful for the recognition of their work. The message for drivers remains straightforward: plan a safe ride before consuming alcohol or drugs, and never drive while impaired.