As the old adage goes, crime doesn’t pay — but stopping it sure does.
She’s been keeping the streets of Merritt safe for years and RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore has recently been recognized for her exemplary service in community policing.
Dunsmore won the 2014 Imperial Order of Daughters of the Empire (IODE) Community Service Award for B.C.
The IODE is a national women’s charitable organization with chapters across Canada.
IODE B.C. gives this award to recognize outstanding voluntary community service given by a member, unit or detachment of the RCMP. Framed certificates, one for the recipient and the other for the detachment office, accompany a monetary award of $500 to further the recipient’s community service. The recipient each year is chosen by the RCMP, honorary vice-president and secretary for IODE Canada Chris Bateman told the Herald via email.
Outside of being an RCMP constable, Dunsmore also plays an active role with many organizations, including Nicola Valley Search and Rescue. She volunteers to teach the law enforcement prepatory program at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, and is a board member with organizations such as Smart Step, the Nicola Valley Shelter and Support Society, Crime Stoppers and the Social Planning Council.
She was nominated by the Merritt RCMP detachment and Community Policing Office and received the award on April 12 in Victoria.
Merritt RCMP staff Sgt. Sheila White told the Herald she wasn’t surprised that Dunsmore won the award, but was pleasantly surprised to see that Dunsmore was chosen out of all the nominees from around the province.
“Not surprised that she won it because of her good work, but out of all of B.C. — that’s quite impressive,” White said.
“It’s an honour,” Dunsmore said of winning the award.
Community policing co-ordinator Kelly Donaldson said Dunsmore’s community service in Merritt is exemplary.
“She continues to go above and beyond every day. Every day, day in, day out. She wears a lot of hats,” Donaldson said.
She also said she is proud to see Dunsmore receive this award.
“I’m so proud that she won because she’s so humble,” Donaldson said.
In her humble fashion, Dunsmore downplayed the amount of work she puts in to serving the community.
“I see lots of other people out there doing similar things,” she said.
Dunsmore credits her husband for the amount of parenting work he does when she’s not available.
“He’s the one that’s at home, cooking supper, getting the kids to bed,” Dunsmore said with a laugh.
“We still spend a lot of time with the kids, but he picks up a lot of the slack at home when I’m off doing my meetings,” she said.
Dunsmore has been an officer for 23 years and has worked in Merritt since July 1, 2001. She became the community policing officer in 2009.
“She’s been here for 13 years, and she gets closer and closer to retirement every day, so we need to celebrate her as much as we can while we still have her active in the community and willing to take on so many different responsibilities,” Donaldson said.
This is the second time Dunsmore’s won the award.
