A member of Toronto police’s sex crimes unit has been named the 2012 Police Officer of the Year for his work in connection with a historic child abuse and pornography case.
Const. Joel Manherz was presented with the recognition at a ceremony dinner Wednesday night.
“Const. Joel Manherz has successfully demonstrated outstanding investigative skills and commitment for a safe community,” a release issued Wednesday night states.
“The professional manner with which he has conducted himself is worthy of substantial recognition not only by his peers but also the Toronto Police Service and the community in which he proudly serves.”
Manherz was recognized for his work in connection with an investigation launched by Dutch authorities into a historic child abuse and pornography case dating back to the 1960s.
Through his review of the case, Manherz was able to identify one of the children in the images and track down the now-43-year-old victim.
The identification led to the subsequent identification of eight other victims.
As a result, a search warrant was executed and a large collection of images was seized.
Ultimately, a suspect was identified and convicted. He is currently serving eight-and-a-half years in a Canadian prison.
To date, a total of 42 victims have been identified worldwide in connection with the case. The images seized represent the largest seizure of self-made images ever found in Canada.
The Police Officer of the Year award was created by the Toronto Region of Trade in 1967 to recognize officers “who have made significant contributions to making Toronto one of the safest cities in the world.”
The award is given to one of 12 officers selected as Police Officer of the Month in a given year.
