Awards were given out in recognition of exemplary service, acts of bravery, and outstanding service for the community. Pictured is Member of the Year recipient Domenic Di Cienzo. Photo Credit: Hamilton Police Service.
Hamilton Police Service (HPS) held their Annual Appreciation and Awards Night last month, with multiple awards presented to both citizens and members of the service.
Awards were given out in recognition of exemplary service, acts of bravery, and outstanding service for the community.
The Member of the Year was announced as Detective Constable Domenic Di Cienzo, who police say “demonstrated exemplary courage and compassion on February 8, 2023.”
After finishing his shift and leaving HPS’s Central Station, he spotted a man about to jump off a cement barrier on the Claremont Access.
Di Cienzo reportedly called for assistance and talked to the man, eventually guiding him to safety along with fellow officers who arrived on the scene.
HPS says that Di Cienzo reacted “despite the late hour and challenging circumstances.”
Security guard Joseph Kilgour received a Courage Award, which is presented to citizens who have acted heroically by risking their personal safety to help others.
On Dec. 16, 2023, Kilgour was working as a security guard at the Corktown Tavern when he had to deal with a highly intoxicated person who was verbally abusive and had been ejected from the bar.
The patron attempted to re-enter the bar and instigate a physical altercation with Kilgour.
During the confrontation, a loaded firearm reportedly fell from the patron’s bag and the patron attempted to retrieve it.
Kilgour restrained the man until police arrived and both the loaded firearm and drugs were confiscated by police.
Ruchdi Arabi and Triscilla Doorsammy also received a Courage Award after they intervened in an incident at a commercial parking lot where a woman was attacked by masked individuals.
They managed to retrieve the victim’s keys and delay the suspects’ escape until police arrived and apprehended them.
The Gordon V. Torrance Award, which was initiated to show appreciation for HPS officers who contribute to the Crime Stoppers Program, was awarded to Sergeant Scott Hamilton, Constable Scott Yuill, and Detective Constable Robert Glanfield.
Over the past three years, the three officers were able to arrest more than 380 fugitives using Crime Stoppers in their investigations.
Finally, the Leonard G. Lawrence Award that recognizes outstanding work for the community was presented to Inspector Ben Thibodeau, Detective Sergeant Gary Heron, Detective Eric Hrab, and Detective James Clayton for their work with Project Odeon.
As part of Project Odeon, Hamilton Police Service along with the Ontario Provincial Police, York Regional Police, Toronto Police Service and several other law enforcement agencies dismantled a significant producer of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs in the Greater Hamilton and Toronto Area.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
