Mike York has thought about joining the ranks of those who serve and protect for some time, but he wasn’t keen on wasting his time in a classroom.
“I’ve thought about being a cop for a while, but I didn’t want to go in for the schooling and then find out I didn’t like it,” said York, one of a handful of people who attended an information meeting late last month at the Civic Centre regarding becoming a member of the OPP’s auxiliary force.
“I figured this was the best way to find out if I would like it or not,” he reasoned. “I want to do something that helps people, something interesting. I don’t want to do something every day that’s the same routine.”
The meeting marked the first time in three years that the OPP actively has pursued adding to its ranks of between 800-1,000 auxiliary officers throughout the province, including 25 covering the Northwestern Ontario region.
“We recruit on an ongoing basis, but we don’t have a drive like this every year,” noted Fort Frances OPP Cst. Al MacDonald. “But having more auxiliary members benefits the regular officers already in the community, and the community itself.”
The auxiliary force began about 25 years ago and has grown steadily over the years. While it is a volunteer position, being an auxiliary officer is not for everybody.
Members must be at least 18 years of age, be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada with a valid driver’s licence, have their high school diploma or equivalent, and have completed CPR and first-aid certification training.
Applicants also must be of adequate physical condition to fulfill their duties, which range from traffic control and helping with community policing projects, to going out on patrol with a regular officer—and even lend assistance at crime and disaster scenes.
They also must go through a rigorous interview process involving aptitude and psychological testing. Less than half of those who apply are accepted to the auxiliary force.
Those who do make the grade must serve at least a two-year stint with the force, which includes a minimum service time of 10 hours per month plus 60 hours of training per year.
The instructional sessions include the same firearms training the regular officers go through, although auxiliary members don’t carry a holstered weapon in their duties.
They are issued shotguns to bring along on patrol at various times, but Cst. MacDonald was emphatic the safety of the auxiliary members was paramount.
“We would never put an auxiliary member in a position that would jeopardize themselves or the public,” stressed Cst. MacDonald.
“It’s kind of a reserve force,” added Auxiliary Cst. Rob Dokuchie, who joined the force just over two years ago, and recently used his time as a stepping stone to earn a full-time job with the local Fire and Rescue Service.
“The Ontario police commissioner can call auxiliary members into active duty when necessary, where they receive full constable status,” Dokuchie noted.
“Sept. 11 was an example where all auxiliary members were put on standby in case of any terrorist attacks that may have occurred in Canada.”
Acting Auxiliary Sgt. Murray Alexander, who oversees another part of the criminal justice system in his full-time job as the classification rehabilitation officer at the Fort Frances Jail, said there’s no shortage of variety in the responsibilities of an auxiliary member.
“One day, you could be going to get a cat out of a tree, and the next you could be involved in a foot chase,” said Alexander, who added he gets little in the way of negative feedback from the public during the execution of his duties.
“It’s the only auxiliary program that dresses its members almost identically to the regular staff,” he remarked. “The only difference is the light blue shirt instead of the white and the auxiliary bar across the shoulder.
“People still respect the uniform.
“And another great part is there’s no paperwork to be done,” grinned Alexander. “That’s left to the regular officers.”
Anyone interested in becoming an auxiliary constable can pick up an application at the local OPP detachment or by visiting www.gov.on.ca/opp
They also can write to the OPP Field and Traffic Support Bureau Auxiliary Police Program, 777 Memorial Ave., Orillia, Ont., L3V 7V3.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
