Brandon police looking for 20 new officers

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This article was published 20/11/2024 (553 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon Police Service is looking to hire up to 20 new officers to shore up its ranks, and is offering paid training plus a $12,500 signing incentive for recruits who make the cut.

“Not everybody can do the job, and not everybody’s cut out for the job,” said Greg Hebert, BPS’s deputy chief, and 32-year veteran of the service, who added, “I think policing is probably one of the best jobs anybody can ever have.”

“But everybody is hurting for police officers, and everybody is hiring right now,” said Hebert.

To prove his point, Hebert said he had just received an email from the South Australia Police Service.

“We have our own fairly robust recruitment drive underway, but this message from Australia says, ‘calling all Mounties, we are looking for experienced police officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to apply,’” Hebert says.

Over the years, Hebert added, BPS has had a good record with officer retention, only losing positions due to retirement. “Two of our members went to the RCMP this summer, but we also hired two from the RCMP.”

Right now, there are 92 Brandon police officers, including 72 constables, 12 sergeants, six staff sergeants and three executives, said Janet Reichert, BPS’s recruitment and communications specialist.

“We have a need for 20 officers, and eight are currently in the recruit class,” said Reichert. “So, if we could obtain 12 to 14 to accommodate shortages in roster as well as potential future retirements, that would be ideal.”

BPS is now offering its own six-month paid training program to boost recruitment, Reichert added, though BPS is still working in close partnership with Assiniboine College and its Public Safety Advanced Diploma.  All graduates from Assiniboine College Public Safety course will be honored and they will only need to complete a 7-week paid internal course known as Phase B, where they will receive specialized training in high-speed driving, firearms, use of force, and other BPS-specific skills.

Additionally, BPS is offering a $12,500 lateral transfer incentive, Reichert said.

“Any experienced officer who would consider moving to Brandon to work with BPS and come on, fully trained, would have the opportunity for that $12,500 signing incentive,” she said.

“So instead of paying them for six months of training, we’re honouring the fact that they’re coming here, that they want to be with us, and they’re already trained.”

As part of BPS’s recruitment drive, Reichert and other team members are holding open houses at Assiniboine College’s gymnasium once a month — offering applicants the chance to go through the peace officers physical abilities test — or POPAT — which candidates will eventually have to pass.

POPAT has obstacles, jumps, an 80-pound push-pull exercise, a 100-pound bag carry, cones and an agility bar.

It was designed to simulate a critical incident where a police officer chases, controls and apprehends a suspect, and must be completed in less than four minutes, 45 seconds.

Also included in the application process is a background check, polygraph, interviews and psychological testing, as well as vision and hearing tests.

While Reichert said she can’t say how many applicants they have so far. The last time they held the competition, they had about 60 hopefuls, with eight making the cut.

This round of recruiting ends Nov. 30. And in the last couple of months, the recruiting team has travelled across Manitoba and to other provinces, promoting the police service as well as the city.

“Most people are intrigued by the city size, from the cost of living to that small-town feel, but big-city amenities,” said Reichert.

“I’ve spoken with officers from Edmonton who are excited that Brandon has as many divisions as it has. There’s a crime division, a patrol division and a support division. Underneath the crime division is major crimes, organized crime, a tactical response unit and crisis negotiations.

“And then under the support division, there’s the canine, traffic or polygraph specialist. I say it’s many careers in one.”

Hebert’s career started as a constable on patrol in 1992, and since then he has moved up the ranks as sergeant, staff sergeant, inspector and now deputy chief.

“Everything has changed, yet nothing has changed,” Hebert said. “Law enforcement is under more scrutiny than it’s ever been in its history, and probably rightfully so.

“Way back when, whether it was 30, 40, or 50 years ago, people would call the police when they had an issue. Police would attend, and they would deal with the issue, so that part of it hasn’t changed.

“Now we have computers in our cars, we have pepper spray, and we have tasers, and we have a duty to enforce the laws and keep the peace, so not everybody is going to be happy to see us,” he said.

“And a lot of times when people reach out to us, or when we encounter people, they’re having some of the worst days of their lives.

“It has its challenges, but I love policing.”

The deadline for applications is Nov. 30, and then begins the process of selecting the successful candidates, with the six-month training scheduled to begin May 5, 2025.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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