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By Teagan Rasche

Medicine Hat Police Service extends deadline for the first step in recruiting process

Feb 17, 2022 | 4:54 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – For the first time since 2019, the Medicine Hat Police Service is seeking applicants for the cadet training program starting Oct. 3.

The recruitment process is currently underway and the application deadline has been extended from March 11 to April 8 due to many people not fully completing the application package online.

Const. Kinsi Steiger with the recruitment team says they’re looking to fill about six to eight spots.

“Some of the minimum requirements to apply to the Medicine Hat Police Service you have to be at least 18 years of age, you have to have a Grade 12 education or equivalent, you need to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or have lived in Canada for three years,” Steiger said. “You need to have a driver’s abstract with no more than five demerits and a non-GDL driver’s license.”

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Applicants can’t have a criminal record or any criminal activity detected or undetected in the past three years.

The multi-step recruiting process starts with completing an application package that includes a personal disclosure form, vision and hearing requirements, and detailed employment and education history.

“The next step would be the written testing portion,” Steiger said. “There are two written tests. The first one is the ACT.”

That test measures English skills while the second test, the APCAT, measures applicants’ ability to perform as a police officer.

Fitness is another big part of the process and recruits must pass the A-PREP test.

“What that is, is a two-part process. The first part is an obstacle course. It involves running four laps of the obstacle course and which simulates what you could possibly see on the job as a police officer.”

After a 10-minute break, recruits move on to a 20-metre shuttle run.

The next stages in the recruitment process include a one-on-one and panel interview and polygraph test.

Patrol section Staff Sgt. Rod Thompson is part of the recruiting team

“We want to make sure that our applicants possess the core values that we have with the Medicine Hat Police Service so we are looking for some examples they might have demonstrated through previous employment that demonstrates respect, integrity, courage, accountability,” he said.

Applicants will then go through numerous psychological tests and a background check

In stage six, recommendations will be given to the office of the chief to determine who will be in the intensive 20-week cadet program.

“There’s a lot of academics involved in it but with that, there’s also a physical component,” said Thompson. “We do a lot of firearms training, control tactics, driver training, there’s also a heavy drill component.”

After cadet training, successful candidates will be offered employment.

During the recruitment process, MHPS sometimes comes across people who possess talent and potential but aren’t quite as competitive as other applicants.

They are offered an auxiliary spot.

“A fantastic way to get experience and to get to know members of the service better and get exposed to different calls and experiences that police officers get where they can really become more competent in some of those police sector council competencies,” Thompson said.

The best advice the recruitment team can give is don’t wait until the last minute to apply.