By Lisa Parent

‘It’s a lifestyle’: Medicine Hat police driven by love for the community, from new recruits to senior officers

Jan 10, 2024 | 5:26 PM

From the most senior officers to the newest recruits, Medicine Hat police say they’re driven to serve because they want to help people in the community they love.

Police have been protecting the city for 125 years and spoke to CHAT News ahead of a ceremony marking that milestone Thursday

Const. Kylie Weckend is one of the newest members of the Medicine Hat Police Service, notching just under a year of service.

“It’s been a lot of work to go from training and just being in the classroom learning the laws, to being hands on dealing with every situation you can imagine with every different kind of person,” Weckend said.

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After months of cadet training and being on the street with a field training officer, Weckend now does what she loves as a full-time job.

Her transition from cadet to constable has been made easier with help from those who have years more experience in uniform.

“There’s little jokes about the younger people and the older serving members here, but at the end of the day, it’s a great honour to work with people that have been here for almost my entire age of my life and get a chance to pick their brain and get some knowledge from them,” Weckend said.

Insp. Joe West is a mentor to many of the new recruits. He draws on his 26 years of experience serving in Medicine Hat to share one of his most important pieces of advice.

“If you can find that joy, you’re gonna have a great and rewarding career,” West said.

Finding that passion hasn’t seemed to be an issue yet for Weckend.

“Just a simple smile and engaging with people in the community is a big part of what the job looks like for me,” Weckend told CHAT News.

“Interacting with people on their worst days and just trying to make it a little bit less worse for them is probably the most rewarding part of the job.”

Insp. West hasn’t lost that spark either and still loves showing up to work every day.

“Still love to get out the patrol car on Friday afternoons, just love the job and love the building and love the folks who work here,” West said.

West said retirement is not on the menu anytime soon, but when that day comes, it will be difficult to leave.

“It sounds cliché, but it’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle,” he explained.

“You do take on a certain part of your identity as a police officer, so when the time comes, it’s gonna be tough.”

Whether one year in the police force or 26, both officers echo the same sentiments: they serve because they care for their community.