My article two months ago was Part One of “A Day in the Life of a Turner Valley Police Officer” wherein I began conveying my experiences of a ride- along throughout our home territory on March 12 with Constable Travis Scharff of the Turner Valley RCMP Detachment. This is Part Two.
If you recall a major portion of an officer’s time is spent in the car driving the jurisdiction with the dual purpose of putting in a presence and watching for traffic violations. Of all the traffic stops they make, about 10% leads to something else such as expired registration, a burned out tail light, or those more significant stops such as a stolen vehicle, possession of Break & Enter tools, or in possession of, or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Dwayne Helgeson, the previous top cop at the Turner Valley detachment, used to point out that, just as we citizens need a vehicle to get around in rural Alberta, so do the criminals. So, the monitoring of traffic and vehicles becomes a major tool for intercepting the bad guys.
With respect to court appearances, Constable Scharff figures that he spends, on average, one day a month in criminal court and 3 or 4 days a month in court for traffic violations.
The Turner Valley Detachment has access to significant outside resources if required: the RCMP Major Crimes Unit for Southern Alberta, HAWCS helicopters out of Calgary, Calgary City Police Canine Unit, the RCMP Forensic ID Section out of Airdrie.
When I asked Constable Scharff about his thoughts on rural Break and Enters, he said the majority of them occur at night and/or when owners are away for an extended period of time. Therefore a well-lit home or yard is good, as “criminals are like rats, they don’t like the light”. Video cameras and signs of such are also good deterrents. If you are going to be away for an extended period, have someone check on your place, daily if possible. Make the place look lived in. This can be especially important in the winter when the absence of vehicle tracks in or out of a residence is a dead giveaway that no one is home.
For those of us frustrated with the Justice System, regular police officers are just as frustrated. They are the first step in the Justice System. They have to gather sufficient evidence to convince a crown prosecutor that charges can be laid. Crown prosecutors will then use their judgement as to whether there is a reasonable chance of conviction before taking on and pursuing the case.
As we travelled the roads I asked Cst. Scharff some personal questions.
Why did he choose the Turner Valley Detachment? His answer probably won’t surprise you: closer to family, the scenery, proximity to Calgary, and better weather. Okay that last one may surprise you but if you consider one of his previous posts was Smoky Lake northeast of Edmonton, I think you’ll understand.
What is the best part of the job? “The people I work with in the Police Force and the people in the community.” What is the worst part of the job? “Anything to do with children, especially if there is a fatality. It’s never fun.”
What does it take to become an RCMP officer? There is 6 months of cadet training in Regina, affectionately known as the “Depot”, followed by a six-month Field Coaching Program where you are paired with a veteran RCMP Officer. I’m not sure if they still do it, but I took a tour of the Regina facility many years ago and it was worthwhile. “RCMP Members are born all over the world, but they are made in Regina, Saskatchewan at the RCMP Academy “Depot” Division where they have been training the best and brightest since 1885.”
My last question for Cst. Scharff was, “What can we as citizens do to make your job easier?” His answer: “CALL! If nobody calls in, we don’t know about it and can’t do anything so please call in what you observe. Get as much detail as you can: License plate number, vehicle description, any decaling, hair colour and length, tattoos, height, weight, scars, any distinguishing characteristics.”
I’d like to thank both Constable Travis Scharff and Staff Sgt. Laura Akitt for all their assistance.
Dave Schroeder
HCRCWA Board Member
