REGINA — Clearly agitated at having his pick-up truck stopped by what he scornfully calls the "big bad police," the scowling, middle-aged man swaggers towards the lone officer."All ya' wanna do is arrest me. You know I've got rights. What is it this time?" he drawls before turning his back on the officer."Sir, what are doing?" asks RCMP Cpl. Curtis Parker. The man leans inside the cab of the pick-up and reaches behind the backseat. "Sir, what are you doing in the back?" Parker has reached for his pistol.The man turns with a shotgun pointed at the officer.Parker fires, and the man slumps down by the truck.
In another scenario, the man gets back up on his feet at that point — and often catches the officer unaware. But that's not the scene played out for Parker on this day as he demonstrates an electronic simulator used to teach cadets about use of force. The man and his truck are on a video screen. Parker is equipped with a baton, revolver and pepper spray canister that shoot lasers instead of the real thing.However, this particular scenario is all too realistic. It re-enacts an incident that occurred on a U.S. highway — as captured in the video camera in the officer's cruiser — that ended with the death of the police officer.
At a time when RCMP training has come under increased public scrutiny — from the death of Robert Dziekanski at the hands of officers who fired Tasers at the Polish visitor, a number of fatal shootings by Saskatchewan Mounties in recent years, and RCMP officer deaths at Spiritwood and Mayerthorpe — the force recently gave the media a close-up look at the facilities that churn out Mounties.
In the last three years, the RCMP Training Academy, nicknamed "The Cradle of the Force," has put through a record number of cadets, almost 1,800 last fiscal year — a thousand more than usual. Some will replace the number of baby boomer Mounties retiring, while others will go to newly created positions. It's a far cry from a decade ago when budget cutbacks temporarily shut down training at the Academy. But there are already signs that the current recession will also have an impact. About 1,300 cadets, average age 27, will train this fiscal year as supply catches up to demand, and demand for Mounties decreases in some areas struggling financially."We are still focusing on a very aggressive recruiting campaign," says Assistant Commissioner Roger Brown, the Academy's commanding officer.
Cadet training is a blend of high-tech gadgets, including simulators that will put them in a car, on a shooting range and on the frontlines; the standards like a live-fire shooting ranging, classrooms, the gym, and driving track; and classic para-military lessons with marching drills, middle-of-the night dorm inspections, and exacting standards for everything from making beds to polishing boots. Military training to build teamwork and discipline; simulators and mock scenarios to foster critical, independent thinking and problem-solving skills — it seems like a contradiction. But Brown maintains both are needed in the field."It's trying to have that equal balance," he says. "We have to ensure that cadets have the overall capability to make those decisions and then they have the tools and skill sets to react accordingly," he adds.
When Brown went through training almost three decades ago, it was primarily "rules-based," instructor-led lectures. Today's training incorporates hundreds of scenarios to teach problem-solving. Even some classroom time will include role playing, bringing in actors to teach about such topics as anger management and domestic violence. Cadets are taught to think short-term — solving crimes and staying safe — but also long-term, to involve themselves in the community to hopefully head off crime."We can't and should not attempt to do all this alone. The more we work within the community to work together, the better we are as an organization," says Brown.
In 24 weeks of Depot training, there's a lot to pack into a day that often starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m. About 10 per cent of a 32-cadet troop won't make the grade. For those that do reach graduation, their first posting will include six months of on-the-job training with senior officers."I believe wholeheartedly that the cadets that leave here today are much better trained," says Brown. "Policing in the north, and Newfoundland and B.C. are totally different. The cadets have to be able to adjust policing to their environment they're going to. I think they're much better prepared, and that's the feedback I get from the field.(more)
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