Edmonton police officers were among those honoured at the annual Cpl. Cummings Watch Awards on Wednesday for their efforts to prevent impaired driving fatalities.
The awards were hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) at the Royal Hotel West near 100 Avenue and 178 Street. They recognize officers from agencies across Alberta who “go above and beyond to remove impaired drivers from Alberta roads,” MADD said in a Wednesday news release.
Members of all police agencies across the province who charged between 15 and 24 impaired drivers in 2025 receive recognition and a Silver Challenge Coin. Those who charged more than 25 motorists receive a Gold Challenge Coin. There were nearly 80 total recipients.
“Impaired driving remains the leading cause of death for drivers aged 16 to 25, and in 55 per cent of those cases, drugs and or alcohol were a factor,” Supt. Matt Hart, officer in charge with Alberta traffic, said at the awards. All of that can be prevented with better education and awareness from family, sports teams, TV, radio, and social media, all working together positively to convince young people to make smarter choices.”
The Cpl. Cumming’s Watch awards were created in 2015 to honour an RCMP officer of the same name who was killed in 1998 by an impaired driver while trying to help gather a hay bale that had fallen onto Highway 3 near Lethbridge.
Recipients also heard from Lynda McCullough, whose daughter Jennifer Leigh was killed 20 years ago in a head-on collision with a drunk driver, who shared her story and expressed gratitude towards the officers in attendance.
“This event lets me see each year how dedicated the police are to preventing impaired driving,” McCullough said. “Please know how much we appreciate you. If you prevent only one impaired driver from causing inevitable pain and suffering, you are also preventing a vast amount of people from suffering forever.”
Related
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun