Joining the Windsor Police Department

I had just finished my general degree in Social Science a mere four months earlier. I was hired a couple weeks shy of my 21st birthday. Before I knew it I was being whisked off to begin a new fifteen week training program at the Ontario Police College.

Being a cop was one of the careers that I had always dreamed about. Frankly, my enthusiasm for the idea had waned during my University years. But I thought that if I didn't try it, I would always wonder how I would have been in the job.

Also, I was surprised to having even been hired. At the end of both of my interviews I was approached by an "old timer" who worked in Personel. He told me point blank that he didn't have much use for someone with a university degree. Times have changed. When I got hired back in 1976, my degree was rare. It was something that I made a point of not to talk about. These days, a post secondary education in the Police Department is common and even encouraged.

Though my stay at the Windsor Police Department was brief (just under 4 years) I am always thankful for "real life" education that it gave me. Despite this, however, we were not a good fit. One day, at the old Precinct #2, I was wondering where my next step would take me. I looked up and saw a notice for an opening at the Windsor Fire Department. The only thing I knew about Windsor Fire was that it usually took about 5 years to even get a chance to write the exam. Thinking that that would give me plently of time to be sure of my decision, I applied. One month later I got the call to transfer.

The biggest thing that I took away from the job of Police Constable is the knowledge of just how hard these men and women work for the people of Windsor. A dedicated group, they often face a thankless job. They are required to make instantaneous decisions that their superiors and the courts often take months or even years to render judgements on.