Winners >Constable Rick Cole

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Constable Rick Cole
Edmonton Police Service

A few years ago, Constable Rick Cole noticed that he and his colleagues were dealing with the same young people over and over again. These youths were demonstrating that they didn't feel responsible for their actions, so Cole decided to develop a program that became known throughout Edmonton as COLE'S Kids.

Cole is the winner of the 2003 Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award for his commitment to making this innovative program effective. Through the program, Cole helps young people involved in issues like bullying, assault, theft, and mischief improve their behaviour.

The program requires young people to sign a "contract for success," which often calls for them to attain better marks at school and keep their parents informed of their whereabouts.

The young person, their parents and police create the contract as quickly as possible after an arrest or intervention, which is one of the main reasons why the program works, Cole says.

"A month is a lifetime for a 12-year-old. If some kind of consequence doesn't happen quickly, it's not relevant," Cole says. The program deals with children as young as seven and as old as 17.

COLE'S Kids also requires parents to hold up their end of the bargain. The parents or guardian are asked to spend 15 minutes of one-on-one time with their child each day and make sure all the required chores are completed.

This often opens up the lines of communication between the child and their parents and allows the parents to lead by example, Cole explains. "The parents are really key," he says.

Cole started running the project entirely on his own in 1999, but it was so successful he had to find volunteers to share the caseload. Now, Cole has a team of volunteer mentors - made up of teachers, principals, pastors, seniors, and other community members - who help him ensure the young people are fulfilling their contracts.

Cole acts as a supporter and trainer for the mentors, who are screened by police, and meets with them regularly to make sure the program is running smoothly. In addition to all these duties, Cole is a full-time patrol officer.

The program is known throughout Edmonton for being highly successful in helping youth in conflict with the law turn their lives around. For Cole, this has made his involvement in the program a rewarding experience. "Seeing the changes in some of these kids is really amazing," he says.

Contact person:
Constable Rick Cole
(780) 496-8551