Pubdate: Fri, 08 May 2009 Source: Burlington Post (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 Burlington Post Contact: http://www.burlingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1528 Author: Tim Whitnell 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart