19 new officers sworn into WRPS (5 photos)
Posted Aug 24, 2019 01:00:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A swearing-in ceremony was held at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex for the newest recruits of Waterloo Regional Police Services.
Class #100 was the largest group the service has seen so far with 19 members.
Several of them from cities outside of Waterloo Region like London and Guelph, others as far as Surrey, BC.
The event was attended by family, friends and members of the police board.
Constable Aaron Mikkelsen was one of the newly minted constables to take up the badge. He is originally from Guelph, but knew he found his new family as soon as he stepped through the doors.
“When I went into the Waterloo Regional Police Service headquarters, I was instantly greeted by phenomenal staff, they were amazing from the get-go.”
Constable Jamie Reid says she is excited to start her job as an officer, adding that it is something she has had on her mind since high school.
“I grew up in the region and I saw the police officers working and I honestly just wanted to help people and help the community. I also like that it was something different everyday, like you don't know what you're going to get into.”
Both of them describe the journey to becoming a police officer as long and tough, but worth it. Constable Calvin Ostner described being sworn in as a “dream come true.”
He encourages anyone who volunteers or wants to help their community to look into joining Regional police.
“The idea of helping people, I've always been passionate about finding a career where I'm making an impact on the community I live in and helping the community. There's a lot of people in vulnerable sectors that need positive reinforcement and I hope to do that in my career.”
