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Cram the Cruiser out for Hunger Awareness Week
Columbia Valley RCMP Report
By S/Sgt. Marko Shehovac
This week is Hunger Awareness Week and having learned this, I attended to each elementary school in the valley to chat with the principals and see if we could partner up with ‘Cram the Cruiser’ to fill up the police truck with food for the Columbia Valley Food Bank.
My thanks to all the kids at Eileen Madsen Primary School, J.A Laird Elementary School, Windermere Elementary School, Edgewater Elementary School and Martin Morigeau School in Canal Flats for jumping in and supporting our efforts with Cram the Cruiser.
This gives our youths an opportunity to learn a little about community support; and gives me an opportunity to get out of the office. It is my hope to once again have Cram the Cruiser out and about during the summer.
I would like to make this observation and have been meaning to mention it in the past. We who live in the valley year round including all the businesses are constantly approached to provide for different charities, sport events and worthy causes. Many of us living in the valley have the time to join organizations that raise funds and or volunteer our time. We give whatever we can from our pocket and give of our time.
When I last worked Cram the Cruiser it was very clear to me from chatting with many of our shadow population from Alberta who call the calley their second home, may not be in a position to join an organization or able to volunteer a great deal of time. I have, however, experienced where our shadow population dig deep into their pockets to support the full time residents with our plight to support our many deserving projects. Many thanks.
PS: The Columbia Valley Rockies will be out again this summer at the Invermere Farmer’s Market selling tickets for another car.
Bike Rodeo
Many thanks to the parents who gave me a hand with the Bike Rodeo at Eileen Madsen Primary School. The course was challenging for many of the kids. Made an attempt to impound one bike but was met by a hostile group of students that prevented me from seizing the bike. My thanks to the District of Invermere works yard for providing me with many of the cones.
Detachment Open House
Mark it on your calendar, May 21 5-8 p.m. This event is sponsored by Windermere Lions Club, Tim Horton’s (sub Detachment) Home Hardware and Canadian Tire. Lions club will be hosting a BBQ dinner as well as finger printing the kids. Tim Horton’s provides treats. Canadian Tire and Home Hardware provide prizes for winning posters from each of the grade three classes in the valley.
The cell block tour is a big hit with the kids. All our toys are placed in the back parking lot for the kids to jump on. Cpl. Grant Simpson puts on his Garth Vador, Tac Team uniform and provides rides on the ATVs. This is the fourth annual event.
Come on out and have dinner on the Lions and the Detachment. We are hoping to have Cpl. Sullivan and his police dog attend.
RCMP recruiting
I am advised that to meet the recruiting needs anticipated due to attrition, the RCMP will be putting 960 recruits through Regina for the next two to three years. We are on the lookout for potential applicants. So if police work interests you, the next two to three years might be a good time to apply.
All Police Forces throughout Canada no doubt are in the same position. Check out our website www.rcmpcareers.ca and register to attend a career presentation. Think I will gear my story to this theme this week.
Summer events, demands on the detachment
May long weekend is the first shot over the bow to gear down for the detachment to prepare for a steady summer. We sit back and relax after the Radium Car Show mid September. By then it’s 96 more sleeps before Christmas and I start getting into a good mood. I like to know in advance of any events your organization has planned for the summer that requires police assistance, even if it’s just a request to patrol. Please drop in or call and give me a heads up.
I would like to record it on my calendar of events. Any parades? Include and advertise Cram the Cruiser to collect food items by spectators. This is a must.
Not interested in crime stories this week.
My path to the RCMP
Probably the first time I got on a horse I knew that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was a career for me. In reality it was in elementary school and the calling and determination became stronger while in high school.
I struggled in high school, certainly was not a scholar as I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and university was not in my sights. While in grade 13 in Ontario I applied for the RCMP. I worked at INCO as a summer student and set my sights on a law and security course at a local college.
I went to the recruiter and requested he defer my application. After one year of college I realized I had reached my tolerance to education and asked that my application proceed and went back to work for INCO full time while I continued the process.
While working at INCO I recall working in a confined space; no freedom to roam around and looked out the window to see a police vehicle roaming the parking lot doing patrols. My thought was, here I am confined to a space to do my job and the office space for that police officer was the entire community. Freedom to move around.
At the time of joining the RCMP, the salary was $18,000. My father attempted to convince me that I would be making more money if I stayed with INCO. I appreciated the work INCO provided me at the time, but it was not my calling.
I was accepted and off to Regina in 1975.
I encourage any young person to look at law enforcement as a career. Every day brings new challenges. You never know what the day will bring; goes from mundane, routine work to heart pounding scary stuff, then back to mundane, routine stuff. All in one day at times.
The best thing right now, my office is the Columba Valley. When I get stressed, I go for a ride and look at the mountains and talk to the sheep. It’s when I start thinking the sheep are talking back will be time to retire. Right now I hear them whispering!
Lead photo: Youngsters crowd S/Sgt. Marko Shehovac’s cruiser with food items to cram it with during last year’s Radium Days Parade. Carrie Schafer/e-KNOW
