South Simcoe Police's Officer Elisabeth Aschwanden has been nominated for the 2021 Police Services Hero of the Year award for being a Community Role Model from the Police Association of Ontario (PAO).
This isn't the first time Aschwanden has been nominated for the award, and she is honoured and humbled for the recognition.
A Bradford native, Aschwanden is grateful to be able to work in the community she grew up in, running programs and initiatives for seniors and students to help keep them safe.
Aschwanden, known to many in the community as 'Officer Elisabeth', has been with South Simcoe Police since 2002 working in various departments.
Her primary role with community services involves working in the schools of Bradford and Innisfil as a resource officer.
"I love working with the students in the classes, " she said.
The #BTRU program is one initiative spearheaded by Aschwanden and her partner Officer Karen. #BTRU is an updated version of the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) campaign, teaching Grade 5 students about drug awareness, online safety and bullying.
She also works with the seniors in the community and organized the Citizens' Police Academy (CPA) senior's program, going into local seniors' homes, giving informative, engaging presentations on how to stay safe.
She runs the CPA seniors program in both Bradford and Innisfil during the summer months.
"It's a great way for them to learn what we're all about," she said.
Aschwanden puts the events together, often collaborating with other community partners to present on relative topics for the vulnerable population such as frauds and scams, 211, driving and elder abuse.
She also likes to incorporate 'fun' presentations, like bringing in the K9 unit, which she says is always the biggest hit.
Most recently, Aschwanden spearheaded a Valentine's Day project in which she had students from local elementary schools create cards for the seniors' homes in town while coordinating with Linda's Floral Designs to have each senior receive a carnation flower.
From a young age, Aschwanden knew she wanted to be either a police officer or a teacher. It was a co-op placement at the then Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) station in Bradford that propelled her career into policing.
She eventually went on to get a job with the police to "get her foot in the door" as a part-time dispatcher.
However, "I knew I wanted something more hands-on," she said.
She didn't mind the shift work required for being a dispatcher but found the hours difficult to schedule around her active volunteer work and extracurriculars within the community. So when a special constable position in the courts opened up with more set hours, she went for it.
"I liked it because it was more hands-on," she said about the special constable role she had for a few years. From there, she took a job in the community services department and has been there ever since.
"I knew right away that's what I wanted to do," she said, as it involved aspects of both her dream jobs of policing and teaching.
"Because I'd be in the schools but still on the policing side too," she said.
She credits her parents, who both had careers working with children, for being such pillars of support and inspiration throughout her career.
And although she doesn't live in Bradford anymore, she is glad to be able to help serve in the community she grew up in. She is proud to have been able to attend both elementary school and high school in town and remembers working her first jobs at various places of business including the former Winchester Arms, KFC, and Video99.
"To me, it's still home," she said, "and it's really nice to get to work in the community that I call home."
Aschwanden has twice been the recipient of the South Simcoe Police Services Community Safety and Crime Prevention Award.
"It's really nice to have gotten those two awards," she said.
"For me, it's the most fun, it's wonderful," she said about her role working with students and seniors.
She is humbled by the nomination from the PAO.
"I am very touched, it's a nice honour," she said.
The 2021 PAO Police Services Hero of the Year Awards program runs from Feb. 2 - March 15, 2021. Winners will be announced during the Police Association of Ontario's virtual Annual General Meeting in June.
