Police Officers of the Year Safely Apprehend Man in Crisis

Detective Graham Ellis & Detective Constables Ron Reise, Tyler Hardcastle, Cody McIntosh and Summer Sandford were named Police Officers of the Year at the 59th Annual Police Excellence Awards Thursday, April 23. The Police Excellence Awards recognizes and pays tribute to devoted, brave and compassionate members of the Toronto Police Service who are committed every day to making Toronto one of the safest and most livable cities in the world. The event is co-presented by the Toronto Police Service Board, the Toronto Police Service and the Toronto Police Association. The Police Officers of the Year acted as a team to safely end a call for a person in crisis: In November 2025, officers responded to a 9-1-1 call from an unknown caller reporting a man had threatened him with a firearm at a gas station. 43 Division Major Crime Unit plainclothes officers Detective Graham Ellis & Detective Constables Ron Reise, Tyler Hardcastle, Cody McIntosh and Summer Sandford were the first on the scene containing the area. Detective Ellis and Detective Constable Reise quickly found a man inside the gas station convenience store matching the suspect description and decided to calmly enter the store in an attempt to defuse the situation. After identifying themselves as police, the suspect quickly backed away and reached toward his waistband in a manner consistent with drawing a firearm and the officers backed off drawing their own guns. The suspect showing the butt of what appeared to be a black assault-style rifle and then openly displayed the weapon, telling the officers they would have to shoot and kill him. The officers remained calm and attempted to de-escalate the situation as Ellis slowly made his way to the other side of the store and seized an opportunity to bring the man to the ground to restrain him and secure the weapon, which was later found to be an airsoft rifle. It was later determined that the man himself had fabricated the incident in an apparent attempt to provoke police into shooting him. He had lost a close family member days earlier and was still in distress. Detective Graham Ellis & Detective Constables Ron Reise, Tyler Hardcastle, Cody McIntosh and Summer Sandford are recognized for their work to safely end a mental health crisis through their coordination, bravery and teamwork.