Future police officers, teachers and retirees alike celebrated their accomplishments at the 10th annual Citizen’s Academy graduation earlier this week in Morinville.
More than two-dozen individuals accepted their certificates both from the Morinville RCMP and the Town of Morinville, marking the completion of the 10-week program introducing citizens to the police force.
“They get a chance to learn about lots of different things,” said RCMP Const. Yelena Avoine. “It’s just kind of to increase communication between us, the RCMP, and the citizens of Morinville and Sturgeon County to kind of have them understand what we do, why we do it, the way we do it.”
For 19-year-old Rebecca Dozois, the program was a way to learn more about the career she hopes to pursue.
“I want to have a future with the RCMP and I’m attempting to get school on the way,” she said, adding she is following in the footsteps of her father, an Athabasca RCMP officer who had his first post in Morinville.
Dozois said the program gave her a better understanding of what to expect and said she thinks it will give her an edge when she attends post secondary school next year.
“I really liked just learning all the different specialties,” she said. “It was just great.”
Although some participants took the course to learn more about policing, not everyone was looking to start a career.
For 74-year old Gloria Heemeryck, the program was simply a way to learn more about a lifelong interest.
“I’ve always been interested in law enforcement and I belong to Citizens on Patrol, so it was kind of a good thing to know,” she said.
She learned of the program last year when her neighbour graduated and said it was a perfect fit for her.
“I enjoyed every bit of it and couldn’t wait for it to come again,” she said, adding her favourite part of the program was meeting the police dog and going on a ride-along, which took her to a large house party with more than 100 kids.
She said she recommends the program to anyone, especially those with an interest in law enforcement.
“It shows you all the things that you could be doing if you got into law enforcement, some of the scope of what’s available,” she said. “I would take it again, I really would.”
There were 26 graduates this year, which is higher than usual, Avoine said.
“To be still running the program and to still have people signing up year after year … we know that all of it is positive,” she said, adding the program in Morinville is the only one of its kind.
During the course, participants are taught a wide range of topics including forensic identification, traffic services, commercial crime and drug awareness.
“They also get a chance during those 10 weeks to go on a ride-along with a member,” Avoine said. “When they come back the following Monday, they give a report on the ride-along – what they saw and what they did – so that part they really, really enjoyed.”
The group also took a field trip to K Division in Edmonton, where participants observed the Northern Alberta Operational Communication Centre, where all emergency calls are dispatched.
Each year, the program changes slightly in terms of topics presented.
Avoine said she hopes to see the program continue well into the future, provided the necessary resources are still in place as well as demand from the public.
“If we still have someone that can spend the time to organize everything, then we will definitely still have it as long as we can,” she said.
Intake into the program opens in November, with once-a-week meetings kicking off at the end of January.
The program is directed towards residents of Sturgeon County and Morinville, although if space permits, applicants from other jurisdictions will be considered.
