More than 340 members of the Vancouver Police Department donated 1,220 hours of overtime this past winter in support of the 2012 Special Olympic Canada Winter Games. In total, the VPD donated $36,675 to support the B.C. team of Special Olympic athletes, including four from Vancouver, to the national games in St. Albert, AB, which took place Feb. 28 to March 3. In a letter to the VPD, Special Olympic floor hockey player Bill Polz thanked the officers for their support and wrote, "... We had a great winning GOLD." In 2011, the VPD turned their overtime into $24,500 worth of donations to help athletes compete in the Special Olympics B.C. Winter Sport Championships. It was those Team B.C. athletes who qualified for the nationals in Alberta.
