SUBMITTED PHOTO - Former Medicine Hat Police Service Sgt. Dave Peskor recently published Prairie Five-0, a light-hearted memoir encompassing his forty years in law enforcement.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Former Medicine Hat Police Service Sgt. Dave Peskor saw a lot through his four decades in law enforcement, but when he sat down to write his memoir, Prairie Five-0, he opted to focus on the moments that made him smile.
It started as funny quips on napkins and the matchbook covers, but as the stories began to pile up, Peskor realized he was sitting on a goldmine of colourful characters and good-hearted ribbings.
“We would have these instances that were kind of humorous and such, and I started thinking, ‘You’ve got to write this stuff down because nobody will believe it,'” said Peskor. “I started to write things down on restaurant napkins and throw them in a drawer, and I thought one day maybe I’ll start a little memoir or something. That’s where it started, on scraps of paper.”
Peskor began his career as a provincial corrections officer in Calgary before joining up with the Redcliff Town Police, where he served for 15 years until 1992 – when the department was absorbed by Medicine Hat Police Service. Peskor then worked with the MHPS until 2008, when he turned in his badge and gun to work as a civilian contractor in criminal intelligence analysis until 2016. He now lives with his wife Margot in Redcliff.
Peskor says he began forming a basic manuscript in 2005, but his plan was never to make it about the heavy drama that comes with wearing the badge – it’s strictly about the lighter moments. And much like the 50s television series Dragnet, the stories are true, only the names have been changed
“It’s not a blood-on-the-badge cop novel. It’s a memoir, but it’s all humorous stories. I poke fun at myself and the guys and gals I worked with, and a lot of the colourful characters that we encountered along the way,” he said. “It isn’t normally portrayed in TV shows and movies like this. It’s not all action. We’re not going from call to call and kicking in doors. There’s a lot of funny stuff that goes along with it. I think it shows a human side to policing.
“We’re people, too, and we like to have fun just like everyone else in our work.”
Peskor added his initial target readership was current and retired police officers, as well as their families and friends, but the book also offers a look inside the profession for those without a connection to law enforcement.
“I got an overwhelming response from people that were not in the police circle, as such. They were saying ‘Wow, that’s hilarious,'” he said. “And they wanted more and more and more, and it kind of took off from there.”
