An Olds RCMP officer who completed 29 impaired driving investigations in 2024 has received MADD Canada’s Cpl. Cumming’s Watch Gold Challenge Coin — one of the province’s highest honours for impaired driving enforcement. This marks Cst. Tim Dulmage’s third such award in six years.
Dulmage joined the Olds detachment in 2017. The award is given to Alberta officers who lay 25 or more impaired driving charges in a year. It is part of a tiered program named for RCMP Cpl. Graeme Cumming, who was killed by an impaired driver near Lethbridge in 1998.
According to the Town of Olds, officers who complete between 15 and 24 impaired driving investigations receive a Silver Coin. Dulmage completed 29. MADD Canada confirmed that 21 Alberta officers received Gold this year.
"But what keeps me motivated is that there are people who will continually make that decision, and if I stop doing what I'm doing, I'm allowing that to happen."
When asked if there was one incident that he carried with him, he said there was one.
"There was one where an impaired driver went head on with a motorcyclist and killed them instantly; the daughter of the victim, we hadn't made the notification [to] her yet. She had called in looking for a well-being check on her father, because he had been several hours past due coming home, and she was able to track his phone and knew where his phone was in a spot that didn't make sense."
From an outside perspective, impaired enforcement might appear as a simple tally. Dulmage sees something different: subtle behaviours that suggest danger.
"When somebody's closely intoxicated, I can have a feeling by the eyes — they have like a thousand-yard stare. Sometimes they go into counter-detection mode... they'll light up a fresh cigarette to cover the odour of liquor."
The physical risks are clear.
"They're in control of the 3,000 pounds of metal which could easily be turned into a weapon."
Despite the dangers, Dulmage acknowledges the frustration that comes with repeated tragedies.
"There is that frustration. Many of us have seen the tragedies that come from it, and it's so easy to avoid. If you can't afford the taxi ride home, you can't afford your last drink."
His efforts have not gone unnoticed by colleagues.
"Grit is the word that comes to mind," said Acting Staff Sgt. Jamie Day, the detachment's commander. "At the end of the day, he's saving lives by removing those impaired drivers off the roadway."
Day said Dulmage’s workload reflects a broader culture of commitment.
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"Morale is quite high at our detachment," he said. "We celebrate as a team."
The challenges of impaired enforcement continue despite changes to the law.
"The provincial side helped," Day said, referring to recent legal reforms that increased fines and lengthened suspensions. "There's more impact immediately than before, when we'd get their license back in 15 days. But we still see it out there."
Day noted how the demands on officers have evolved.
"It used to be only criminal, and that took a member off the road for quite a bit of time. The legal aspect, the mental fatigue — the amount of work that went into just one impaired driver. The drug side is more impactful on the member than alcohol."
The toll of this work, in hours and mental strain, rarely appears in statistics or award citations.
"A lot of people don't understand just how much we actually care about the job and the people we serve in the community," Dulmage said. "People don't see the hours we put in and how much we get invested in our files."
Day agreed. "It's a very tough job. And yes, we do worry about burnout," he said. "But as an organization, we've come so far. We're way more engaged today than we were decades ago. There are more options now — better supports, better mental health resources. I'm proud to be able to say that."
The name on the award matters.
"He was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver," Dulmage said of Cpl. Cumming. "That's always a concern when we're dealing with drivers on the road."
This year, 68 Alberta officers were honoured through the program. MADD Canada confirmed one officer tied to Airdrie received a Silver Coin for laying between 15 and 24 charges in 2024. That officer's name and agency were not released.
Dulmage doesn’t do the job for ceremony.
"The award in itself isn't the motivator," he said. "I do it because it needs to be done."
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