MHPS, Blood Tribe & Taber cadets excited to put skills to the test

Jordan Wyton was one of those taking a seat alongside his fellow cadet recruits. A three-year veteran of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warrors, Wyton was no stranger to fights over his career but now he’s training to break them up.

“It was just the team atmosphere and being able to work with people who are all dedicated to the same task,” said Wyton. “Hockey does that and policing does that, so that’s why I took this path.”

Seven recruits will train with Medicine Hat Police, while four will be stationed with Blood Tribe Police, with the final cadet heading to Taber.

Joining Wyton with MHPS will be Mitchell Brandt, who has been dreaming of a policing career in his hometown for years.

“I have a daughter myself, so I’m bringing her into this community,” said Brandt. “I want her to have the same upbringing that I was able to have. So, it’s a connection that’s going to keep growing with me especially as time goes on.”

Along with working towards a job, cadets will also earn credits towards a degree at Lethbridge College with the institution providing 33.5 credits to each recruit.

MHPS Chief Andy McGrogan said they partnered with the college back in 2016 and that aspect has been one of the most exciting facets of the cadet program.

“That’s the whole plan here, to build an educational pathway for these cadets so that by the time they have seven or eight years on they all can have a degree,” said McGrogan.

However, McGrogan told the recruits in attendance that it will be a difficult road ahead.

“This is probably as nice as it gets,” said McGrogan. “I think they’ve got a lot of blood, sweat, and tears ahead of them and a lot of hard work. They’ve got a lot to learn in a short period of time, but we’re set up and ready to go.”

Through the five-month training stint, Medicine Hat Police are putting an emphasis on mental health and providing support for the new cadets.

McGrogan said it was an important piece to add due to the prevalence of mental illness among first responders.

“We have a psychologist on staff and we use her to train the folks and kind of evaluate them as they go along, and give them some skills to help them cope as they move forward,” he said.

For cadets like Tyler Orr, it’s a welcomed portion of the program that shows mental health is being taken seriously by both organizations and officers.

“We had a discussion this morning with one of our instructors and they said, ‘You can’t take care of someone else if you haven’t taken care of yourself,’” said Orr. “That goes not only for your physical fitness, the preparations that you put into that, but mentally as well.”

Representatives from Lethbridge College, Taber Police, and Blood Tribe Police were on hand for the ceremony, as well as elders from the Blood Tribe to provide their blessing to the recruits.

It was a special scene for the four cadets heading to the Blood Tribe including Orr, who wanted to use the program as an opportunity to learn from another culture.

“There’s a people, and culture, and tradition there that I want to learn about,” said Orr. “So, that’s why I specifically applied to Blood Tribe. I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to learn from them so that we can learn together and grow together.”

A total of 20 weeks of training now awaits cadets like Wyton, who are hoping to one day serve and protect those in a trio of southern Alberta communities.

“Just to be able to help the City of Medicine Hat to the best of my ability,” said Wyton. ‘I know there’s a lot of people here that might not trust the police and stuff like that, but just as an individual I’d like that to change moving forward.”

McGrogan’s final year

Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin

Medicine Hat’s chief of police also announced that this year will be his last with MHPS, as Chief Andy McGrogan revealed during his remarks that he will be retiring in 2020.

McGrogan joined MHPS close to four decades ago and has served as chief of police since 2008.

Following the ceremony, McGrogan joked that one of the new cadets is in a position to possibly replace his number.

“2020 is my last year, so one of these kids will be taking my number on and away we go,” said McGrogan. “I’ve kind of been joking for the last couple of months.”

Getting ready to leave the position he’s called home over the last 12 years, McGrogan said his goal before retiring is to leave MHPS in the best situation possible.

“For the most part just leaving the organization in a healthy position to serve the community,” he said. “That’s it, bottom line.”

McGrogan did not say when his exact retirement date with MHPS will be.

by Scott Roblin

MHPS, Blood Tribe & Taber cadets excited to put skills to the test

McGrogan’s final year

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