Bark in the First World War in Europe, it took five victories to be declared a fighter ace, but in B.C. in 2012, it takes a full dozen.
Rather than a medal however, the RCMP officers who take 12 impaired drivers off the road get inducted into Alexa’s Team. That’s what happened to five members of Central Island Traffic Services in Parksville on April 26, who between them have taken 214 drunk drivers off the highway.
Included in the honour were constables Craig Schnablegger, Tamara Aquilini, Mike Martin, Aandrzej Obodzinski and Mike Infanti.
In all, Alexa’s Team removed 12,923 impaired drivers from B.C.’s roads in 2011, making the province safer for all road users.
Formed in 2008, Alexa’s Team has grown from 26 members to 355 RCMP and municipal police officers from all corners of the province. Since 2008, Alexa’s Team members processed 32,743 impaired driving charges or penalties against drivers in violation of B.C’s impaired driving laws.
To be nominated for Alexa’s Team, police officers must have removed at least 12 impaired drivers from the road in the previous calendar year through a Criminal Charge investigation or the new Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) administrative process, in addition to issuing Administrative Driving Prohibitions, IRP Fails, and IRP Refusals.
Alexa Middelaer was only four and a half years old when an impaired driver killed her in 2008 while she stood with her aunt on the side of the road feeding a horse.