OUTLOOK — For new police officers coming into Outlook and the surrounding area, things can be a bit of a culture shock if that officer comes from a larger metropolitan area or a community on the other side of the country.
In the eyes of new Outlook RCMP officer Ryan Davies, it’s a welcome change of pace that he’s looking forward to experiencing, although he’s open to taking on all that the job will offer.
Davies, who has only been in the riverside community for a handful of months, has six years of experience with the RCMP. Originally from Maple Ridge, B.C., he says police work was always something he wanted to pursue, starting from an early age.
"I think it started around Grade 2," said Ryan, speaking with SaskToday. "That's what I was looking to get into. For me, it's just about being able to help people. It's important work that needs to be done. It feels like I was always just drawn to it."
With time spent serving with the Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN) Community Safety Officers program in Whitehorse, followed by a posting to the city of Whitehorse, Davies says the experience brought excitement and allowed him to see another side of the country he’d never been exposed to.
"It was different," he said. "I've never lived up north before, so when they told me I was going to Whitehorse, I was pretty excited. The lifestyle is very much outdoors and very, very peaceful. Some of the subdivisions are very calm. The city itself can be a little bit rough sometimes, but that's okay. There are lots of alcohol problems up there, as well as some drug issues. But it was interesting to see that different side of Canada."
From Whitehorse, Davies returned to his native B.C., to the city of Coquitlam, a community close to home for him. He remembers working at the Costco there before officially joining the RCMP and eventually finding himself on the path that would end with his dream of joining the Canadian police force.
That path included time spent in the military reserves, with Ryan serving three years as an infantry member with the Royal Westminster Regiment. But he always knew the end goal he had in sight for his future.
"It was there that I got lots of leadership experience and lots of working through adverse conditions and everything like that," he said. "But the RCMP or policing was always the goal of mine. So pretty much every aspect of my life, I was pointing myself in that direction. So I got deferred when I was 20 and I was going to the Justice Institute in British Columbia. I took a law enforcement studies program there. So when I got deferred, then I waited a couple of years. I got my bachelor's in law enforcement studies and then joined the army, moved out, moved in with a roommate, worked full time for a bit. But … everything was [always] leading me to here."
With time spent in much busier communities in the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Davies says the slower pace of being posted to the Prairies was something he noticed right away — but it’s also something he certainly doesn’t mind.
"There was a bit of a shock, just with the town obviously being quite small compared to what I'm used to," he said. "Even Whitehorse was quite a bit larger. But it's peaceful and I like that. And that's what I came seeking; something a bit more calm. Everybody's nice and I can say hi to my neighbours every day and don't really have too many issues in town. It's just super sweet. So, I knew what I was getting into coming to Outlook, that it would be slower for police work, but my lifestyle-wise would be a lot nicer."
Having been here since March, the officer's impressions of Outlook as a community aren’t surprising to most residents who call it home — a relatively quiet, rural area where most people know each other.
"It's a very safe community, which I'm very happy about," he said. "It's peaceful, it's calm. I can go running around the running track or I can run up and down the streets and not have to worry about cars or people giving me a hard time, and it's nice just to be able to do that."
Of course, being a police officer these days brings a myriad of differing opinions, both negative and positive. Davies says such a mix of views is something every officer keeps in mind, knowing the environment we’re in today.
"The negatives of being a police officer in this day and age; it's hard," he said. "There can be some unfair scrutiny, but I have to remember that not everybody has the schooling or the experience or has gone through the things that I've gone through. So, yeah, I can totally see where some people are unhappy with split-second decisions that I make. And I'd say that's the hardest thing. As a police officer, I have to be right every time with sometimes little to no information. And if I'm wrong, it could cost somebody their life and it could cost me my job. It's a challenge, right? But that being said, like I said before, I know that not everybody has that experience. So I wish that I could take more people out on my walks or I could show more people the aspects of my job or just even talking to lots of people. I find that a lot of people don't ask me questions in bad situations and instead, I'll just hear rumours or read stuff online. And I'd say that's the biggest challenge, kind of combating these truths or things that aren't fully as they seem."
For Davies, getting involved in the community through his role as an RCMP officer has helped him stay grounded and maintain a positive outlook on the job.
"One of the positives of being a police officer: You get to be involved in your community," he said. "People look up to you. People do come to you with questions. And sometimes it's not easy. But just being somebody that people can rely on, even if they're total strangers, it's nice. I like to work mental health calls, and so we're constantly just trying to make sure people are safe and people are happy and healthy as best we can do it. But yes, one of the nice things about my job is that I get to be a little bit more in control of what's going on around town."
Davies says it’s the people he’s surrounded by and the environment in which he works that make being an officer enjoyable — and that the reality of his career dream has turned out to be exactly what he hoped for.
"Working with the people, for sure," he said, to applause from Michelle Stalwick of Detachment Services. "Working with the other police officers and working with community partners and the ambulance and the schools and just being able to talk to different people and learn their jobs or talk about their experiences is really, really interesting. And, well, it's not exactly an opportunity I'd get if I was just still working at Costco."
