On September 13, President Neufeld and RVP Valda Behrens visited three RCMP sites in southern Alberta: the High River Detachment, the Turner Valley Detachment, and the satellite office in Eden Valley. They were joined by local member and Detachment Services Supervisor for Turner Valley and the Eden Valley Reserve, Carmen Gajecki.
In Alberta, 21 Indigenous communities are provided policing services via the RCMP, including the Eden Valley Reserve site. The satellite office is covered through a community tripartite policing agreement with the federal and provincial governments.
President Neufeld and RVP Behrens met four of the five USJE members who work between the locations and learned about their working conditions. They discussed USJE’s report, The mental health and well-being of Detachment Services Assistants in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: A qualitative investigation, and the 12 recommendations made in the report. The members confirmed that the recommendations would improve working conditions, particularly those related to health and safety (i.e. bulletproof glass). It was also evident that members frequently work alone and deal with a variety of situations without Regular Member presence: the High River Detachment and Eden Valley satellite office have only one DSA each.
All USJE members clearly expressed their pride in working for the RCMP and for their role in contributing to the safety of their communities. President Neufeld and RVP Behrens appreciate the time these members took to speak with them, and thank Carmen Gajecki for facilitating. RVP Behrens will be following up with the USJE Local regarding these visits and the discussions that took place with these USJE members.