Nearly 80 Alberta officers honoured for efforts in impaired driving enforcement

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is honouring 80 officers who have stopped impaired drivers.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honoured nearly 80 Alberta officers Wednesday for their role in keeping drunk drivers off the roads.

The Cpl. Cumming’s Watch, created in 2015, honours the RCMP officer of the same name who was killed on duty by an impaired driver near Lethbridge in 1998.

Members of all police agencies across the province who charged between 15 and 24 impaired drivers in 2025 receive recognition and a Silver Challenge Coin. Those who charged more than 25 receive a Gold Challenge Coin.

Lynda McCullough, who lost her 21-year-old daughter to a drunk driver more than 20 years ago, was at the event on behalf of MADD to share her story and the memory of Jennifer Leigh.

“Each impaired driver that’s apprehended, taken off the road, probably impacts a dozen or more people. If you multiply that one impaired driver, you are saving the lives, literally, of many, many others,” she said.

“I always hope that a speech I give honours the memory of my child and makes an impetus to people realizing how we’re impacted by the lives lost. Drinking and driving, it’s an old story.”

One officer was being recognized for going above and beyond. In the last year, Wetaskiwin RCMP officer Surendra Singh doled out 110 impaired Immediate Roadside Sanctions (IRS).

“You lose your licence for a year, then there’s a $1,200 fine, and you lose your car for 30 days … no one should get killed because of somebody’s carelessness,” he told CTV News Edmonton.

“When you hear the story of somebody who passed away in their early 20s, who didn’t deserve it. Somebody else is at fault. Just gives you a feeling that you should work harder next time … just to make sure everybody’s safe.”

In 2024, Edmonton police alone reported more than four impaired drivers per day in the capital city.

“Some day, somebody will catch you. And some will face those penalties. We always encourage people to call when they see an impaired driver on the road,” Singh added.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Klippenstein