2nd Panel Flashcards
Who were the officers in the panel
Amanda Vanderstoep: Corporal - RCMP
Liz Ross: Constable - Delta Police Department/CFSEU
Lorena Rostie: Staff Sergeant - RCMP
How would you describe the police in one word?
Amanda Vanderstoep CHATGPT said enforcing, she did not like that. She said Protector. When you get a file into court, their role then changes to protecting victims from offenders. They also make sure people take care of themselves in their role.
Liz Ross: Human: People think the police are perfect. We’re not perfect, in a way subhuman. We have emotions, want to work hard and make mistakes.
Lorena Rostie: Service: every police officer she has met really cares about what they do and they want to do a good job. They take the work to heart and people come into this profession thinking they want to make the world a better and safer place.
At what point in your life did you decide that you wanted to become a police officer and was there a particular event or person that inspired your interest?
Amanda Vanderstoep: She got hired by CBSA first as a summer student hire, and it was a good stepping stone to get into the RCMP. She didn’t pass the LSAT and could not go to law school. She took the police exam and passed after she didn’t want to do it. She began passing all the tests and still did not want to do it. What made her join is the diversity in the RCMP where she could be posted anywhere in Canada
Liz Ross: She had no idea she wanted to be a police officer for most of her life. No family members in policing. She wanted to become a doctor but realized she hated sciences. She took a law 12 course and liked the idea of criminology so she went to SFU to obtain a degree.
Even in university she wanted to be a lawyer. She was sitting in her 251 class and it really made her want to be a police officer because she was really interested in doing so. And then she became a police officer
Lorena Rostie: She grew up her whole life seeing the recruits train in depot because she lived minutes away from it. The RCMP world was very familiar to her, she watched cop shows. Fast forward, she got her degrees in Chemistry and Computer Science. She thought computer crimes could be fun and she applied. At 33, she flew out for training at depot.
How did your family and friends react to becoming a police officer?
Amanda Vanderstoep: Her family reaction was when she was in depot 4 police officers were killed and one of the fellows that died graduated from depot 2 weeks before. Her grandma called her and was very upset and said it’s ok “Amanda if you wanna come home” and she was 2-3 months from graduation. Her grandma was scared that she was becoming a police officer. Her two kids said “If I’m being honest I don’t like how strict you are please don’t ground me”and the other one said “I feel good about you being a police officer, I feel safe from danger”.
Liz Ross: Her family was not surprised because she went into criminology. Her mom wished policing has been more accessible for women when she was young, she would have liked it. Her dad wanted her to get a job away from danger. She said most people in her life were “unsurprised”. Her friends remained the same mostly, but she says officers must stay away from certain friends.
Lorena Rostie: It was a mixed reaction. Friends were not super surprised, same friends for a super long time. Dad was a little worried, because policing has the highest rate of suicide. Family was super proud of her though once graduation time came. Mostly positive reactions, but still mixed.
Have you faced any barriers in your policing career as you feel as a result of your identity?
Lorena Rostie: Never had children, so did not have to deal with those barriers. Says no she did not have to deal with any barriers, very fortunate.
Amanda Vanderstoep: Yes she has faced a lot of barriers because of her gender. Early on in her career she wanted to be a dog handler. But it is a very male dominated role throughout policing. She volunteered to raise the dogs for a year. She applied to be a dog handler but found out she was pregnant. It was not an issue as her supervisor said but 24 hours later she got a call saying she could not do it because of her health issues. Another example is she was writing a search warrant for a search and her babysitter said she was going to leave after 11 so her kids were unattended. She talks to her partner and she works on the search warrant at home. And the corporal came the next day and told her if this continues and you have to keep working at home we might have to kick you off the team.
Liz Ross: She went to the store to buy equipment for the job (boots). Asked for a women’s 8, but they were confused (not used to women), so they said they have only a pair available for her. It was the worst boot she could get, and they broke very quickly. Once she asked to buy another pair, they said officers can only get boots every 2 years. She ended up paying $500 out of her own pocket to get comfortable boots for her. After asking the sergeant for reimbursement, the sergeant said it was not possible. Delta Police has now addressed this issue and come a long way since then.
What types of strategies or programs would help to diversify the police applicant pool
Lorena Rostie: Go to police events whenever you have a chance. This will help you see what the police are looking for.
Amanda Vanderstoep: The True crime audience like to analyze digital material and it is very important in policing because they do not have enough of those. This brings value to aspiring applicants.
