Make a Difference in the Community as a Police Officer!
- Nela Friesen
- Mar 21
- 6 min read
Table of Contents
About Constable Mike Darby
Constable Darby is a police officer with the Lethbridge police service. He is currently a full-time recruiter for the service and also serves as a community peace officer. He has been with the Lethbridge Police Service for 22 years, serving in various positions, including as a canine handler, downtown mountain bike operator, patrol division member, and in the youth engagement unit. He has also volunteered in the honour guard and police association. I was able to meet with him and have him share his experience as a police officer!
What is Working as a Police Officer like?
An Average Day
The job can be very unpredictable in who you meet and what kind of situation you are dealing with, so no two days are the same. However, each shift will start with a shift briefing, which involves meeting with the patrol team, going over what calls came in on the previous shift, deciding any follow-up, identifying crime hotspots in the community, etc. This part remains consistent, but the calls that come in are different every day. In a typical day, common situations police officers will see are traffic collisions, impaired driving, mental health concerns, etc. In these situations, police officers speak with witnesses, victims, and/or the accused and issue appropriate recourse, which could be things such as tickets or criminal proceedings.
Pay
Police officers get paid very well. Each agency has its own collective bargaining agreement, but most police officers in various areas get paid similarly. At the Lethbridge Police Service, the starting salary for a police officer is $76,000 per year. For a constable, the highest rank at that level is senior constable, and you must have 11 years of service to achieve the rank. The salary is $120,000 per year for that rank. From there, officers are promoted in rank before their salary increases.
On top of the good pay, their pension plan is also great. They are part of the Special Forces Pension Plan. Police Officers can retire after 25 years of service with a full pension, regardless of age.
Work Conditions
This is a very collaborative job. They never work alone for safety reasons, so everything is done at least in pairs. There are also various situations where larger groups of officers may be working together. He gave me an example of a situation from when he was a canine handler. Taking the example of a break-and-enter situation where someone fled on foot, he would work together with his canine partner, who was trained to find people, to find the suspect. He would also rely on a group of officers to establish a cordon area to contain the suspect in order to conduct a proper canine track.
Police officers typically work 2080 hours in a year, which averages out to a 40-hour work week. There can be shift work involved. For example, the patrol unit will work two 12-hour day shifts in a row, then get 24 hours off, then work two 12-hour night shifts in a row, then get 4 days off, working that rotation for the year.
It can be a stressful job. However, for most police officers, the stressful part of the job isn't the worry of the unknown or the potential for danger; it's actually their administrative tasks, such as the police reports they have to write, that cause stress. The job can be administratively heavy at times when these tasks begin to pile up. However, the police service is always looking for ways to help them manage the workload by looking into new technologies that can make their work more efficient. Another important component of mental and emotional health is being healthy physically, so exercise is encouraged by allowing them to exercise while getting paid at the police station. It really helps them perform better, both physically and mentally.
Qualities Needed
After working as a full-time recruiter for 3 years, Constable Darby knows the qualities needed to succeed in this industry. He told me that the people he sees getting hired by the police service are those who are compassionate, want to enter the field to help people and make a difference, genuine, good communicators, have a good work ethic, are good at being a part of a team, and more. These are the people he sees who are being hired and are succeeding in the industry.
Hardest Parts of the Job
There will be times in the occupation when you will see traumatic events. You may see other people's trauma, witness traumatic events, or be involved in them directly. This can take its toll on you if you don't take care of yourself. Luckily, the police service gives them free access to psychological services, gives them lots of time off to be with family, and encourages them to stay active by allowing them to exercise on shift. There are a lot of things the police service offers to take care of their officers and promote their well-being.
How is this Career Rewarding?
In this career, you will be challenged to be your best self. If you want to become your best self while helping people in the community, then this is the perfect job for you. Sometimes, it can be a thankless job, as there sometimes isn't much follow-up from victims whom they've helped throughout the years. However, in his career, he has experienced people reaching out to thank him and tell him how important his role in helping them was, and it is these things that make the job worth doing.
Misconceptions
Police officers in the past often didn't put as much emphasis on their fitness. It was more common for officers to eat unhealthy foods or take part in unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking. There is sometimes a misconception that this is still the case. However, fitness requirements to enter the industry have become a lot stricter, and police officers are expected to maintain high levels of fitness. Most police officers have families, so their favourite thing to do after a shift is to spend time with their families, not take part in things like smoking or drinking. The occupation has become a lot more family-oriented and has changed from past versions of policing.
Post-Secondary/Training
The minimum requirements to enter this field are that you must be at least 18, be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, have at least a high school diploma, have a class 5 driver's license with no more than 5 demerits, and have no criminal record.
A lot of people will come to the police industry from previous schooling or careers. A lot of people go to a post-secondary institution for a Justice Studies Diploma or Degree. This can help make you more attractive to potential employers, but it is not a requirement. They also often people from a previous career, for example, people who have tried the trades, and these people come with great life experience.
Police officers undergo six months of initial training in collaboration with Lethbridge Polytechnic. It is an accredited program, so you receive academic credits for completing this training, while also contributing to your pension. During this training, new police officers learn about specific investigation techniques for things like domestic abuse, break-and-enters, impaired driving, etc. They learn about the use of force, tactical communication, practice driving on a track, and work on their fitness. They also study federal, provincial, and municipal law. There is a lot of information police officers need to know, or at least know where to find.
It is a competitive field. The entry requirements may seem basic, but the application includes things beyond the requirements, such as the ethics and integrity questionnaire. That is stricter, as the police service is careful about who they hire, ensuring only those with the right values are hired. It can be challenging to get hired, but police officers are in continuous demand. If you have good integrity and good ethics, and are in it for the right reason, then you can succeed in entering this field.
What can High School Students do to prepare?
In high school, stay out of trouble, be a good representative of the community, and lead by example by helping and volunteering. Take time to learn more about yourself and your values, as it is very important to live your life with a high moral compass. Constable Darby would encourage taking part in some form of athletics, not only for fitness, which is a benefit, but also to learn about teamwork and being part of a team. If it doesn't interfere with your studies or family, he would encourage getting a part-time job in high school, as it builds a sense of responsibility and is a good source of life experience at a younger age.
This is an occupation where it's rare that someone will get hired at 18. However, they do hire 20-year-olds and 21-year-olds, and the occasional 19-year-old. Generally, people will finish high school, then go on to complete some further education or work for a bit, then come to policing in their early 20s.
Check out the Lethbridge Police Service!
Website: Home | Lethbridge Police Service
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