Sudbury students interested in law enforcement careers sit down with officers

It’s not every day that students get an opportunity to chat with police about their profession and how they can prepare for a future career in the force.

A group of students from Bishop Alexander Carter High School in Hanmer got that chance Tuesday.

“My plan originally was to go to Laurentian Law and Justice Criminology and then law school and then see where life takes me, whether it be lawyer or police officer,” said Grade 12 student Alexis Savard.

“I got some really good information about basically the family that these police officers and everybody else that’s involved have together.”

Grade 11 student Gracelyn Alberta said the event solidified her career path; becoming a police officer is something she’s wanted to pursue since she was 12.

“I know for sure that this whole experience is amazing and from what I heard, I’m definitely going to try to get into policing,” Alberta said.

This was just one of several ‘fireside chats’ being held during Police Week. The group of 10 students was able to learn about opportunities available within the force, hearing from representatives who have worked in the canine unit to dispatch.

“We know that the theme for Police Week is, ‘Join Policing, Keep Ontario Safe,’” said Insp. Dan Despatie.

“We’ve really taken that to the local level and really just doubling down on what we do every day through our school resource program, within our community engagement section, and we know that our youth are the leaders of our future … Really, this is about connecting with them and if we’re able to, you know, recruit some members, all the better.”

Despatie said the school resource program is key in the city and both the service and schools agree officers need to be in schools to build positive relationships.

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