2022 F. Darren Smith Award Winner Announced!

The recipient of the F. Darren Smith Award of Excellence for 2022 is Chief Superintendent Susanne Decock.

Named after Staff Superintendent F. Darren Smith of the Toronto Police Service, this award was established in 2012 to recognize and honour individuals in the Canadian police community who demonstrate outstanding leadership, commitment, and vision for the advancement of technology-enhanced learning (TEL).

This is a well-deserved recognition of Susanne’s contributions to the advancement of training and professional development in the Canadian police and public safety sector.

During a career that began 1993, she held a series of progressively responsible posts that led to her becoming the first female Director of the OPP Academy in 2014. Throughout her career, she also contributed greatly to Indigenous policing as part of the Ontario Provincial Police’s Indigenous Policing Bureau. In 2021, she was appointed Commander of the Career Development Bureau where she is responsible for Human Resources, Recruitment, and the Academy.

Susanne has been a driving force behind many initiatives that prove a collaborative, technology-enhanced approach is best practice for police learning. She has contributed to advancement in police training for her service, as well as on a provincial and national level. She has served as Chair of CPKN’s National Advisory Committee (NAC) and as a member of CPKN’s Board of Directors.

After several years away, she rejoined the NAC and now co-chairs the Learning Needs Subcommittee. Her vision, commitment, and leadership in the area of training and learning are qualities that the entire police community can celebrate and emulate. In all aspects, Susanne meets and exceeds the criteria used to select the recipient for this annual award.