Peace officer Jason Schreiber next to the Cypress County logo.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Peace officer Jason Schreiber is settling in for what he plans to be a long career helping to keep Cypress County running smoothly.
Born and raised in the Medicine Hat area, Schreiber says he’s stayed in the region his whole life. After 17 years as a journeyman auto-body technician however, he decided it was time for something new.
“One of my hobbies is to spend time with my family, we work on old classic cars together and restore vehicles,” said Schreiber. “So I didn’t want to do it all week and then do it on the weekend again. So I decided to do something different.”
Initially, he thought to work for the Canada Border Services Agency, but circumstances led him instead to apply for a job posting to become a Bylaw Officer out in Bow Island.
“At the time, I had no idea what that was, because the criminal justice program was geared more toward policing as opposed to municipal enforcement,” said Schreiber. “But I took a chance, and I applied for it, I got the position, and it started a new career journey for me.”
Schreiber spent 13 years in Bow Island, working his way up to becoming a level 1 peace officer. It’s this experience that he brings to his new position with Cypress County following the retirement of Anna Mast, who previously had been the County’s one and only peace officer. Schreiber has spent the past month working alongside Mast, meeting members of the communities he would be working in.
“It’s been interesting all the different locations that I’ve been in, all the different areas that I’ve seen. It’s a completely different landscape,” and Schreiber. “But that being said, with the hamlets and the small communities, I think it’s going to be very interesting to start to really learn the inner workings of all the different locations and the people that are there.”
He said that above all, he wants residents to know he is always open to having a discussion, and wants to understand the circumstances behind any call or concern he might be dealing with.
“The first thing that I try to establish is a history, and to understand what’s been going on,” said Schreiber. “I prefer to talk to everybody first. I don’t feel like sending out a letter prior to speaking with them is beneficial. Your No. 1 goal above all else as a peace officer is compliance. If you talk to the people and you can come to an understanding, and the situation gets rectified, then at the end of the day, that’s exactly the same goal that we’re all working towards.”
Schreiber says that after a month working with Mast and seeing all of the different kinds of calls that will make up his time in the county for years to come, he feels prepared and confident, and looks forward to becoming a regular face and positive presence throughout the communities that call Cypress County home.
