By Ashley Wiebe

Cadets graduate from training program

May 25, 2018 | 4:44 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Graduates from the cadet training program are now one step closer to beginning their policing careers.

The Medicine Hat Police Service partnered with Lethbridge College for the second time, training eight cadets for the local service and three for the Blood Tribe police.

The last 20 weeks haven’t been easy and it all lead up to the graduation ceremony held on Friday.

This is the first time the service has partnered with the Blood Tribe reserve for the training.

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Over the last 20 weeks, the cadets have been put to the test, working through different scenarios and learning from any mistakes.

The program proved to be difficult and many had to juggle between the work load and their home life.

McGrogan said they’ve taken the equivalent of 11 different courses, each with a specific focus for the job.

“All the different jobs tasks, competencies, that they need to be a police officer are all included in their training, which of course includes emergency driving, control tactics, all those types of things,” he said.

They also learned how to work as a team, which helped them all successfully complete the program.

McGrogan said he enjoyed watching the process and being able to see where they started to where they’ve come in just a few months.

“Really, from day one, seeing them come in, really not prepared for what was ahead of them, really, some of them, totally unfamiliar with the policing environment. And the last 20 weeks, they’ve been drinking through a fire hose,” he added.

Of the eight Medicine Hat cadets, five will be hired on by the service.