Policing is a family affair for Innisfail RCMP’s new school resource officer (SRO).
Three years after Const. Cindie Dennis joined the RCMP at the age of 19, her father, Val, also decided to join Canada’s national police force. He is currently a member of the Sundre RCMP detachment.
“I have more service than him,” Dennis said with a chuckle.
Originally from Lundbreck, Alta., Dennis was posted to Mayerthorpe following her graduation from RCMP Depot in Regina, Sask. She remained in Mayerthorpe for three years before moving to the Leduc RCMP detachment, where she was stationed for five years. Dennis joined the Innisfail detachment at the beginning of November, moving to town with her fiancé Spencer and 16-month-old boy, Grady.
For most of her career, Dennis has served as a general duty officer, but also spent one year as an SRO in Leduc, where she also taught the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.
Now 28, Dennis has spent the past few weeks getting oriented to the community and the schools prior to officially taking over as the SRO from Const. Rick Buisseret on Dec. 1.
“I’ve been meeting a lot of people and getting to know the schools,” she said. “Having a member in the class – they get to talk to you in a more relaxed tone. It’s really good for the kids to get to know the police without anything serious having to be behind it. Whether you’re talking about decision making, or drugs, or traffic safety, it doesn’t really matter – it’s just a really kind of low-key way to get to know people in the community.”
As an SRO in Leduc, Dennis was responsible for overseeing 13 elementary schools, a junior high school and two high schools.
“It’s a little different than here,” she said, “Fortunately for Innisfail they can have a much more hands-on approach to their schools because they don’t have as many students as some of the bigger areas.”
The proximity of Innisfail’s schools to one another allowed Buisseret to develop a closer working relationship, said Dennis.
“They’re very fortunate because he can pretty much walk through every school within 15 minutes,” she said. “He has less students, which is good.”
As for replacing Buisseret, who has served in the SRO role since August 2008, Dennis said it will be difficult given the relationship he has developed with school staff, students and parents over the past three years.
“Those will be big shoes to fill,” she said. “They do really like him at the schools.”
Buisseret, who will return to general duty after his stint as SRO ends after Nov. 30, said he is looking forward to using the relationships he developed to help him be successful in his new role.
“I’ve met more people in the last three-and-a-half years and gotten to know a lot more people than in the previous three-and-a-half years I’d spent on general duty,” he said. “Knowing the background of some of these kids and where they’re coming from – what’s normal behaviour for them and what’s abnormal behaviour, and what would be in their best interest if they happen to cross my path in an enforcement-type role.”
He heaped praise on his replacement, saying Dennis has already taught him new things about the program in her first two weeks.
“She’s going to be fantastic,” he said proudly. “People seem to really like her. She’s always got a smile.”
