Tyson Morrisseau – Constable
What drew me to working with the Treaty Three Police Service is growing up in the area as a Couchiching band member. Growing up I’ve always wanted to be a Treaty Three Police member. Working for Treaty Three Police has always been a dream of mine. A big factor that drew me to Treaty Three Police is how engaging the Treaty Three Police Service is with the communities we police and its members.
Personal experiences I have that I feel benefit me in my work is being familiar with community members in the Treaty Three Area as I grew up in Couchiching First Nation. Before policing I worked as a support worker at a local detox centre in the town of Fort Frances and learned sets of skills that assist me with building rapport, de-escalation, and communication.
During my time with Treaty Three Police, I have learned a lot about policing from my coach officer as well as officers I work with on my platoon. My coach officer has taught me many things from how to create a Crown brief and how to investigate effectively. I have learned how to be an effective officer from my coach and members on the platoon I work on.
I hope to be a coach officer in the future in my policing career as well as a scenes of crime officer.
Advice I can offer anyone considering a career with the Treaty Three Police is to understand the communities and the community members of the area you will be policing, as every community has different challenges. Treat everyone with respect. Treaty Three Police is an amazing police service to work for. My advice for anyone considering a career in policing is work hard and keep up with your physical fitness. Policing is a rewarding job and if you enjoy helping people it’s a great career to consider.
Evan Gawthrop – Constable
In reading through Treaty Three Police Services mission statement and set of values, I recognized quickly that my own values align with the service. I believe it’s a good idea for any young person thinking about becoming a police officer to look into the services they are thinking about applying to. When it became clear that Treaty Three Police Service is truly a community policing initiative, it was an easy choice for me to take the first step and apply. The idea of being able to work in a career that I love while also becoming a pillar in a community and impacting people in a positive way, made the choice to apply clear.
Before I took the step into policing, I spent time travelling various countries around the world and being exposed to different cultures. These experiences provided me with perspective in how other people live their lives, and what is important to them. Being able to find myself getting along with many other types of people and cultures around world while being out of my comfort zone in a new country, prepared me for situations where building rapport with all types is necessary. This is a big part of policing.
I spent five years at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg working as a security guard before I began policing. This experience allowed me to grow in many ways. I had multiple experiences dealing with people in crisis, intoxicated individuals, as well as people suffering from mental health issues. Being able to learn and flourish in this type of setting allowed me to gain necessary experience that is invaluable in policing.
I have learned countless lessons from my coach officer, along with all of the other senior members at the detachment. All the lessons learned have a few underlying ties that include some basic principles:
- Work hard. The job is stressful, hectic, but rewarding. The more effort you put into learning and exposing yourself to Policing will lead to a successful career.
- Be honest and have integrity. The public looks to Police officers as role models in the toughest situations. Honesty will get you far with your platoon mates and individuals that you deal with on a daily basis. Integrity is one of the building blocks to creating a successful Police officer, without it, you will not become one.
- Humility. I have heard from many senior officers that a Policing career is quite the journey. Throughout the years you will always have something to learn, no one knows it all or is perfect. Being humble allows for you to be open to new ideas and tactics.
- Along with accomplishments involving career development, the main focus I have for my Policing career is to be a positive impact on the youth in our communities. I believe providing a positive role model for youth to look up to can heavily impact life choices. Having a goal in mind and someone to look up to provides a blueprint for children to follow. If I can point community members and youth into the right direction in life or assist them in times of need, I’ll believe that I had a successful career.
Here’s some advice for those thinking of applying to become a police officer:
- Begin an active lifestyle. You’ll need to be physically fit in order to pass police standards test in the first place. Begin running and some form of weightlifting. This will not only increase your chances in becoming a police officer, it will provide a healthy routine and a mode of stress relief.
- Research the services you intend to apply for. See if your personal values line up with the services initiatives, this will ensure you are informed for any interview questions you may encounter and confirm that you truly want to work for the service.
- Go for a ride along. See what a police officer does during a shift and determine whether it suits you. Shift work is a different life from the regular Monday-Friday workforce and it’s not for everyone.
- Recognize that the job includes stressful situations, and it impacts your work/life balance. Begin researching strategies to have a positive work/life balance before you apply, so you’re prepared once you reach your goal.
- Talk to Police officers about their experiences. Wearing all of the cool gear and driving the cruiser loses its novelty quickly and finding out what the job entails is important before applying. Listening to Police officers and finding out what they do daily will help in your decision to apply.
More information about the Treaty Three Police Service, including current openings, can be found on their website.
