Presented to the individual team or service that has exhibited outstanding innovation and achievement in case management in a homicide investigation.
Waterloo Regional Police
Detective Constable Ray WARD
Career History
· Began policing with Peel Regional Police in 1988
· After 13 years in Peel Region joined Waterloo Regional Police Service
Overview –
· One of the original Powercase trainers in the Province of Ontario
· Involved in the successful implementation of Powercase in two police services
· Provided assistance, mentoring and continued support to many other services in the province
· Instrumental in Waterloo in the implementation of Majoe Case Management and Powercase for both the existing Homicide Branch and the Sexual Assault Unit
· Ray developed expertise in Powercase and Link explorer attained by only a few in the Province
· These abilities came as a result of him self teaching because at this time there was no Powercase training for advanced users
· Ray became so knowledgeable that representatives from the Powercase vendor relied on Ray to demonstrate the practical use of Powercase and Link Explorer
· Ray taught numerous course relating to Powercase and sat on a number of development committees
Investigation Overview
· In 2002 the court of appeal granted Andronicos VANEZIA a new trial for his 1997 second degree murder conviction of Pamela BONN in 1995
· This would be VANEZIA’s third trial
· The first resulted in a hung jury
· This case was the first for Waterloo that used the full functionality of Powercase
· Between May 23-25 1995 Pamela BONN was beaten to death in the apartment of Andronicos VANEZIA in the City of Kitchener
· Her body was disposed of in Mausser Park
· The case was a difficult one complicated by a lack of witnesses, conflicting forensic evidence and alternate suspects
· Ray was assigned as a member of the investigative team assigned to perform an audit of the original investigation
· The original investigation in its entirety was entered into Powercase
· Rays knowledge of Powercase and Link Explorer was crucial to the results of the audit which not only supported the original results but bolstered them
· Ray expertise was relied upon when Waterloo took the unprecedented steps to utilize the Powercase database live in the courtroom
· The ability to search the entire investigation for key information during testimony was enormous benefit to the Crowns Case
· The investigative team and in particular Ray Ward was highly praised by the Crown attorneys for the work done in a case that many were skeptical that it could be prosecuted for a third time
· As fate would have it in 2007 VANEZIS was granted a fourth trial by the court of appeal who in their wisdom felt evidence of bad character led by the Crown may have prejudiced the jury
· The Crown and Police were committed to running the forth trial but the matter was resolved
· VANEZIS pled guilty to Manslaughter and was sentenced to one day in jail
· Throughout the previous prosecutions VANEZIS had served the equivalent of ten years
· The success of Waterloo Regional Police using Powercase would not have realized if it were not for Ray WARD
- Ray continues to provided support to a number of areas both with in his service as well as other services throughout Ontario