HALTON COP HONOURED

Ontario Women in Law Enforcement recognize Det.-Const. Bev Meehan

Halton Regional Police Detective-Constable Bev Meehan was recently
honoured by the Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE) for the work
she does seizing the assets of criminals.

Meehan was one of 10 winners when the organization held an awards
ceremony in Mississauga last Friday.

She was named OWLE's Excellence in Performance category winner for
her efforts as a member of the Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit.

The Halton officer was one of 10 female police officers across
Ontario named by OWLE as a winner in an individual category. More
than 100 officers had been nominated over the 10 categories.

The 49 year old has been a member of Halton police for 24 years, the
last 19 as a uniformed officer. The first five years she worked as a
civilian with the service's 911 dispatch.

Since January 2007 she has been seconded to work, when needed, with
the Ontario Provincial Police's Provincial Asset Forfeiture unit out
of Mississauga. She works among a group of three-dozen detectives
from a host of police agencies across the province. When she is not
working on a project with the OPP she performs her detective duties
for Halton police.

In giving her the Excellence in Performance award, OWLE cited that
Meehan broke new ground in removing the profits enjoyed by criminals
as a result of their illegal activity.

"Meehan's assistance to other investigative units has resulted in the
courts forfeiting property and cash worth more than $1 million. Her
continued efforts have resulted in several million dollars worth of
real estate, property and money restrained and still before the
courts awaiting their ruling," according to a Halton Regional Police
Service news release.

"My job is to identify and seize, restrain and forfeit the proceeds
of crime. I do the identification of assets to be seized and all
(police paperwork) applications," Meehan told the Post.

She said she also participates in drug-growing-operation (grow-op)
raids and assists with other police drug and morality cases, plus any
real estate seizures in cases involving the production of marijuana
or the warehousing of cocaine.

"We also do Criminal Code seizures if a criminal enterprise is
warehousing stolen property," she noted.

She said the paperwork in asset seizures can take from 6- 12 months
for a home or land, but is a little quicker on a drug-related property.

Meehan has been involved in several noteworthy asset seizure cases in Halton.

The highest profile forfeiture case she has reviewed in Halton was
that of a man convicted of pushing his wife to her death off a cliff
at Mount Nemo in north Burlington in November 2003.

The husband was eventually convicted of first-degree murder. The OPP
Provincial Asset Forfeiture unit seized the couple's marriage assets
- - their home and investments - and got the court to give half of
their value, $280,000, to his deceased wife's three siblings.

There was also the first home seizure related to a drug grow-op in
Georgetown, with the courts upholding the forfeiture in February 2008.

Meehan was also involved in the seizing of a boat from its owner. An
allegedly impaired boat operator led Halton police on a pursuit
through Burlington waters on Lake Ontario in 2007. The 17-foot
powerboat has been seized pending the outcome of the court case.