(St. John’s, NL) June 12, 2026 – Twelve Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) officers were acknowledged today for removing impaired drivers from our roadways.

MADD Canada hosted the annual Team Nick Coates Awards at RNC Provincial Headquarters in St. John’s, recognizing police officers for their efforts to detect and apprehend impaired drivers. The award is named in honour of Nick Coates, who was killed by an impaired driver in August of 2013.

Officers who have taken a minimum of 12 impaired drivers off the roads during the previous year receive the gold award. Officers who have taken at least eight impaired drivers off the road during the previous year receive the silver award.

The RNC congratulates the following officers for their dedication to increasing safety in our communities:

Gold

Cst. Aaron T. White, 21 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Carter S. Fridgen, 16 arrests, Corner Brook Region

Cst. Geoffrey P. Heffernan, 14 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Kyle Morrissey E.F. , 14 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Chloe O. O’Keefe, 13 arrests, Corner Brook Region

 

Silver

Cst. Chris M.G. Horan, 10 arrests, Corner Brook Region

Cst. Michael Burton V., 9 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Jonathon F. Morris, 9 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Riley C. Stoyles, 9 arrests, Corner Brook Region

Cst. Andrew L. Snow, 8 arrests, Northeast Avalon/Labrador West

Cst. Evan A. Bennett, 8 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Deirdre A. Halliday, 8 arrests, Northeast Avalon

Cst. Aaron T. White and Cst. Carter S. Fridgen were additionally recognized as Top Performers.

In 2025, there were over 2,700 calls for service related to impaired driving in RNC jurisdictions alone.

The RNC remains dedicated to removing impaired drivers from our communities and continues to urge the public to report dangerous and impaired driving directly to police by calling 911.

 

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Cst. Stephanie Myers, #874
Public Communications Officer
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
media@rnc.gov.nl.ca