Lethbridge College Police Cadet Program graduates were recognized for their accomplishments during a Friday afternoon graduation ceremony at Medicine Hat's Patterson Armoury.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Police service members representing three organizations, city officials and community members gathered at Patterson Armoury on Friday afternoon to welcome 14 new police officers following their graduation from the Lethbridge College Police Cadet Program.
Offered in partnership through the Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Manitoba First Nations police services, the 24-week program provides prospective officers training, education and skill-building opportunities in techniques necessary to police work, such as de-escalation, firearms, public safety, organizational awareness, collaboration, adaptability, investigation and more.
Fourteen cadets graduated from the program’s most recent session and were welcomed into their new roles as officers with the ceremony.
Of the graduates, nine will soon be joining MHPS, with their first shifts scheduled for next week; three will join the Lethbridge Police Service; and two will join the Manitoba First Nations Police Service.
Officials of all the three services spoke at the ceremony, offering the new recruits congratulations and advice as they enter the field of policing.
MHPS chief Alan Murphy offered threefold advice, which he feels encapsulate the core principals of policing: service, integrity and humanity.
“Be human,” Murphy said in his address. “Never lose your ability to be empathetic and to speak to our citizens professionally and respectfully, and truly listen to their concerns.
“Being human will make your work life far easier as a police officer, and this career will be even more rewarding.”
Murphy also encouraged the new officers to talk to their support systems about the challenging aspects of policing, so to promote better well being and provide strength to the officers.
“I’m big on wellness in my building and with the police officers, so that they are looked after, because if they aren’t well, how are they going go out and look after the community?”
Murphy acknowledged that despite the sense of celebration, Friday was difficult for many involved in or connected to police services, due to the slaying of two Edmonton officers Thursday.
“I’m proud of the folks that choose to do this job, because it’s not an easy choice; it’s a very brave choice,” he said. “I think the type of people this profession attracts is people that want to serve the community (and) I’d like to see them do it in a humble and human way.”
Several of the new officers set to join MHPS share Murphy’s outlook, and say they are excited to become part of a community police service which embraces such values.
“(Policing), for me, is giving back to the community,” Sean Maiquilla said while explaining his motivation to partake in the program. “I’m a Filipino and I’m really involved in community (so) I want to just give a good example in the community.”
Follow graduate Ethan Guthrie says community is a large part of the reason he chose Medicine Hat as the city to begin his career in.
“MHPS was always the agency that I wanted to end up with,” said Guthrie, who moved from B.C. to take part in the program. “I had a friend who was on the service and they always told me how great it was to work here and how much they loved working and living in the city.”
Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark expressed her confidence in the new recruits, as well as MHPS’s current members who will guide recruits.
“We’re very excited to have these new officers,” Clark said. “They’re extremely capable as we have such an amazing training program, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what they can do with MHPS, as well as for LPS and MFNPS.
“What really spoke to me was what some of the police chiefs said, that (policing) is about service to the community, and all of these officers really seem to get that. We’re looking forward to having them as part of our community.”
