Within Canada’s policing community, Darren Smith is well known for leading the charge to bring greater innovation to learning. Drawing on equal passions for teaching and technology, Staff Superintendent Smith created the first e-learning to be used at the Toronto Police Service back in the mid-90s; through vision and drive, he has led TPS to the forefront of technology-enhanced learning.

As an early proponent of e-learning, Deputy Chief Bruce Herridge has motivated frontline officers and senior leadership alike by sharing a positive and compelling vision for TEL. He not only introduced e-learning to the York Regional Police organization but led the creation of the Technology & Skills Development Unit and an in-house e-learning team.

For more than a decade, Brent has volunteered his time, knowledge, and experience on a variety of fronts, including the development of policing competencies and integration of technology-enhanced learning, at local, provincial, and national levels.

While officially established in 2004, CPKN’s origins began several years earlier as PoliceLearn.com, the brainchild of Mr. Arnold, then Chief Scientist of the Canadian Police Research Centre at the National Research Council of Canada.  He set out to create an online network that would link the police community through shared operational information and training courses. John Arnold was the founder of the CPKN concept and the organization’s first President.

Geneviève Tremblay is recognized for her commitment to technology enhanced learning and creating high quality products for the RCMP and other Canadian public safety organizations. In 2018, she has spearheaded the development of Introduction to the Cannabis Legislation and the Canadian Cannabis Portal with a national group of collaborators.

The recipient of the 2019 F. Darren Smith Award of Excellence is Marc Desaulniers, Director of Curriculum and Knowledge Development, École nationale de police du Québec (ENPQ) where he has worked since 2001. Marc is highly respected by his colleagues and is recognized for his collaborative efforts in the police community and his innovative problem-solving skills.

Kimberley Greenwood, former chief of Barrie Police and former chair of the CPKN Board of Directors, is an advocate for Technology enhanced training and has championed the use of collaboration, standards, and technology far and wide.

Chief Superintendent Susanne Decock from the Ontario Provincial Police.has been a driving force behind many initiatives that prove a collaborative, technology-enhanced approach for best practice for police learning. She has served as Chair of CPKN’s National Advisory Committee (NAC) and as a member of CPKN’s Board of Directors. Her vision, commitment, and leadership in the area of training and learning are qualities that the entire police community can celebrate and emulate.

Betty Froese, Director of the Learning and Development Unit from the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), has over 14 years working in policing, first with Edmonton Police, and now with VPD. She also serves as Committee Vice Chair of CPKN’s National Advisory Committee (NAC).

Under her leadership, VPD has achieved several critical learning goals and solutions, such as, the creation of the Learning and Development Unit, and, most recently, new Artificial Intelligence initiatives relating  to learning and development.

Sergeant Ryan Buhrig from Surrey Police Service transformed training in his police service by creating a custom, scalable LMS that automated processes, improved outcomes, and saved time. His leadership extends nationally, sharing expertise to advance digital learning across Canadian police services.