The IACP Indian Country Officer of the Year award provides international recognition to law enforcement officers who have demonstrated exceptional valor in service to the people of Indian Country, thereby exhibiting the highest traditions of law enforcement.

The IACP Indian Country Law Enforcement Section (ICLES) honors Inspector Marcel Beaudin of the Ontario Provincial Police as the 2024 Officer of the Year. 

Pictured below from left to right: Executive Director Shawn Butler, Catawaba Indian Nation/ICLES Vice Chair; Deputy Commissioner Rohan Thompson, Ontario Provincial Police; Inspector Marcel Beaudin, Ontario Provincial Police; Commissioner Thomas Carrique, Ontario Provincial Police; Chief Bill Denke, Pechanga Tribal Rangers/ICLES Chair

During his over 20-year career with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Inspector Marcel Beaudin has made significant contributions to enhancing First Nations policing by improving community trust and confidence in police. As a member of the Henvey Inlet First Nation and a senior leader in the OPP Indigenous Policing Bureau (IPB), he makes a deliberate effort to strengthen relationships with First Nations and policing partners. 

As director of the IPB, Inspector Beaudin continuously contributes to community development by devoting significant time and effort to the empowerment of young people. In 2015, he solidified funding to enhance Niigan Mosewak, (“moving forward” in Ojibwe), which is a yearly, weeklong OPP summer program for at-risk Indigenous youth that promotes personal wellness and respect. Niigan Mosewak has subsequently been recognized as a best practice for police services. This program is still active, and in 2023, it hosted close to 80 youths, representing 16 First Nations. Inspector Beaudin was also invited by a Canadian senator to partake in the Truth and Reconciliation Roundtable for Simcoe County, which he has participated in since 2019. 

Inspector Beaudin has also established numerous initiatives for the benefit of Indigenous communities. He initiated the Brands for Canada project within OPP, which receives donations of brand-name clothing and goods that are distributed to communities and individuals in need, predominantly Indigenous communities in northern Ontario. This initiative has also resulted in the distribution of donations to shelters and child and family service agencies in the Asubpeeschoseewagong, Naotkamegwanning, Wabaseemoong, Northwest Angle 33, Niisaachewan Anishinaabe, Lac Seul, and Shoal Lake 40 First Nations.

Inspector Beaudin has also used his natural leadership abilities and community dedication in various roles throughout his career. As a cochair of the OPP Major Incident Management Group, Inspector Beaudin was integral in developing the National Framework for Police Response to Demonstrations and Assemblies, which promotes an operationally sound, informed, and flexible approach to resolving conflict and managing crises in a consistent manner, and has been adopted in Canada on a national scale. Elements of the framework were cited as best practices for response to demonstrations in the 2023 final report of the Public Order Emergency Commission from the Emergencies Act Inquiry.

The above accomplishments and contributions demonstrate Inspector Beaudin’s commitment to enhancing the lives of indigenous communities.