Help available for cop recruits

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Native people applying to the Edmonton Police Service, but who fall a little short in some qualification areas are getting a helping hand, thanks to a remedial class of sorts sponsored by the police force, government and several provincial Aboriginal groups.

The Aboriginal Job Development Program is an intensive 30-week course geared toward Aboriginal candidates who want to exceed the qualifications when they enter recruit training.

Jim White, the Edmonton Police Service's Aboriginal Recruiting Officer, said the new program currently has four men and one woman enrolled.

The participants will hone their physical fitness, as well as gain experience in several areas of police work like public speaking, computer training, self-esteem and report writing.

"Everything we do is to make them more competitive for the recruit training program," said White, a 22-year veteran of the police service.

Although the program is specially geared toward Aboriginal candidates, White said it is not a fast track for Native people into the police force.

"You are not going to waltz in here and say, "Here's my Treaty card, let me in,'" said White. "It's not a fast-track in."

The development program will help Aboriginal participants excel in the next phase of training, which is the grueling 38-week recruit training camp - otherwise known as the nine months where you don't have a social life.

The program is not only an incentive to draw more Aboriginal people into the force, it is a stepping stone toward what can be a very rewarding career.

"We are offering them careers, not just jobs," said White.

White said once finished recruit training, a police officer must finish five years on patrol. After the five years, transfers are possible to a number of police departments including communications, traffic, crime prevention, community policing or school liaison.

The door is open, said White, people just have to be prepared to open it.

Already, the police service tours Edmonton schools encouraging students to enroll in the service. White said the qualifications to try out are very general. A Grade 12 education is needed, some first aid knowledge is helpful, and the applicant must be in excellent physical shape.

"It's basically just keeping your nose clean and being in excellent physical shape," said White.

The program has had a very successful run in the two years it has been operating. Of the 13 participants who have gone through the program, 10 are working with the Edmonton police and two are working with the RCMP. The one remaining opted not to pursue a police career for personal reasons.

White said he is pleased with the response to the program and to the push for more Aboriginal recruits.

The numbers of Aboriginal members among Edmonton's 1,160 police officers has grown steadily over the last six years, from 15 in 1992 to 42 this year.

White said he would like to see the number grow even higher. He said projects like the Aboriginal Job Development Program could increase the number of Native people turning to law enforcement as a career.

The pay for a constable in the Edmonton Police Service starts at around $35,000 and increases to upwards of $50,000.

Participants in the development program are paid $8 per hour and work five days per week for the 30-week course.

In recruit training, recruits are paid $30,000 for the 38-week course.