Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

Bryan Butler has been a police officer for 29 years and understands the need for volunteers in order to make the RCMP a successful force. Butler has been part of the auxiliary section of the RCMP for the past five years and eagerly expresses his thankfulness for the volunteers involved.

1 of 3

Photo Contributed

Auxiliary members participate in a rollover simulation.

Photo Contributed

Back row, left to right: Constable Keith Macleod, Constable Christy Elliott, Constable Chris MacKenzie-Plante, Constable Bob Devereux Front row, left to right: Corporal Daniel Landry, Constable David Mclean

Photo Contributed

Back row, left to right: Constable Bill Soucoup, Staff Sergeant Louis Deveau, Constable Dale Gilbert, Constable Pascal Fleury Front row, left to right: Corporal Jacques Giroux, Constable Chris Fader, Constable Kelsey McIntyre, Constable Al Hicks

"It is as simple as this- we could not do it without them," says Bryan about the 17 members of the auxiliary. "As an RCMP officer, and especially in the Community Policing sector, you wear many hats."

"The auxiliaries contribute many hours of work to the force and they relieve the officers so they can focus on more specialized situations," he explains. The members range in age from 22-60 years old.

"You have to be at least 19 years old to be part of the program, but we get applicants of all ages, and all walks of life," says Bryan. There are members of the program whose day jobs go from carpentry, to sales and retail, and everything in between.

"It is not about what your job or background is," he says. "The program is for committed members of the community who want to lend a helping hand to the force."

The auxiliaries are responsible to assist officers with a variety of police duties, some of these duties include helping in schools to promote awareness and preventative education, traffic checks, protecting crime scenes, accompany officers on routine patrol, stand-in at special events, concert control, crosswalk safety, Halloween safety, and parade patrol.

"They are sworn-in peace officers and wear a similar uniform as the regular members of the RCMP," explains Bryan. "However, their uniform has a blue stripe on the pants rather than the yellow, and all of their badges indicate that they are auxiliaries."

The auxiliary force volunteers must complete 40 hours of training before they can do any work with the RCMP. They undergo all the same screenings and testing as regular officers and once they have passed all of the required tests and training they begin their work within the community.

Bryan explains that the volunteers of the auxiliaries must contribute a minimum of ten hours of service each month.

"It never seems to be an issue for the members to meet this regulation," he says. "We have one volunteer that puts in 70 hours of service each month."

If you are interested in becoming a member of the auxiliaries you can pick up an application at the RCMP office on Main Street. Applications are reviewed as auxiliary officers are needed.

"Auxiliary officers are the eyes and ears in the community that turn around and take action by volunteering their time and service," says Bryan. "We are so thankful for their work."