Durham and Edmonton Police Officers Honoured for Exceptional Efforts in Fight Against Financial Crime

WINDSOR, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 24, 2011) - Tracking and apprehending a gang of violent bank robbers and devising a major take-down of an organized crime syndicate threatening millions of dollars of debit card fraud losses: these might sound like plot lines from the latest summer blockbusters, but are actually the achievements of this year's Canadian Banks' Law Enforcement Award (CBLEA) recipients.

Sergeant Randy Rechner of the Edmonton General Investigation Section of the RCMP and Detective Constable Jay Shaddick of the Durham Regional Police Service will each receive the award during this evening's gala ceremony for the 106^th annual Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Windsor, Ontario.

"We are pleased to honour the outstanding achievements of these two officers, whose dedication and hard work have brought dangerous criminals to justice and protected Canadian banks, their customers and their employees," said William J. Crate, Director of Security for the Canadian Bankers Association. "Banks in Canada work closely with police forces across the country, assisting with prevention and investigation of bank robberies and fraud. This award is our way of publicly recognizing the significant efforts of these two officers."

Sergeant Randy Rechner – Edmonton General Investigation Section, RCMP

In late 2009, several financial institutions in northern Alberta were held up by a gang of armed bank robbers. With each new robbery, the criminals became more unpredictable, assaulting bank customers and staff and increasing the potential for serious injury or death. Sergeant Randy Rechner of the Edmonton General Investigation Section of the RCMP was assigned to coordinate and lead a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the robberies.

With an already heavy caseload and limited resources, Sergeant Rechner was able to determine that the stolen vehicles used in the robberies had come from Edmonton. Armed with this information, he tapped into his network of sources to identify suspects and coordinate a manhunt that encompassed Edmonton and surrounding communities.

Working tirelessly over an eight week period, including over Christmas and New Year's, Sergeant Rechner and his team were able to identify and apprehend all suspects involved. Sergeant Rechner's hard work and determination led to the arrest of a dangerous group of criminals and enabled prosecutors to develop a strong case against the suspects.

Detective Constable Jay Shaddick – Durham Regional Police Service

Between May and June of 2009, a number of banks in Ontario's Durham Region began to notice a sharp increase in ABM tampering, with criminals installing overlay devises on machines' card readers, in an effort to fraudulently copy and duplicate unsuspecting victims' debit cards. Detective Constable Jay Shaddick of the Durham Regional Police Service was assigned to the case and quickly organized a joint task force with the Ontario Provincial Police's Identity Crimes Unit to investigate the fraudulent activity.

Through his investigative work and the work of the task force, Shaddick learned that a sophisticated organized crime group with international connections was behind these crimes. Coordinating a full-time surveillance team, Shaddick was able to monitor a warehouse where it was suspected the fraudulent ABM overlay devices were produced.

This surveillance led to multiple arrests, and resulted in the largest seizure of ABM tampering devices in Durham Regional Police history. Included in the seizure were over 110 ABM tampering devices, thousands of counterfeit debit cards as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen property.

Detective Constable Shaddick's perseverance and commitment to the case led to the apprehension of a well organized group of internationally connected criminals, directly contributing to Canada's economic integrity. It was estimated that each ABM overlay device seized may have netted the criminal organization between $80,000 to $100,000, which could have meant millions of dollars in potential losses to banks.

About the Canadian Banks' Law Enforcement Award

Since the creation of the CBLEA in 1972, 221 officers from across Canada have been honoured with the Canadian Banks' Law Enforcement Award for their outstanding bravery, dedication and other noteworthy achievements in combating crimes against Canada's banks. For additional information about the CBLEA, please visit www.cba.ca/award.

About the Canadian Bankers Association

The Canadian Bankers Association works on behalf of 52 domestic banks, foreign bank subsidiaries and foreign bank branches operating in Canada and their 267,000 employees. The CBA advocates for effective public policies that contribute to a sound, successful banking system that benefits Canadians and Canada's economy. The Association also promotes financial literacy to help Canadians make informed financial decisions and works with banks and law enforcement to help protect customers against financial crime and promote fraud awareness. www.cba.ca.

Follow the CBA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CdnBankers.