Edmonton police say more people interested in joining force after deaths of officers
A senior officer says more people are interested in joining the Edmonton Police Service after two constables were killed responding to a call on March 16.
Acting Deputy Chief Kellie Morgan told a news conference Wednesday that police agencies across the country have been experiencing recruitment issues over the last few years.
“Since this horrible tragedy happened, we have actually had an increase in people looking to apply to the EPS, which I think is incredible,” said Morgan.
“And it speaks to the people who are now stepping up, who perhaps have had the calling to be a police officer and to have a life of service to the community.”
Edmonton police media adviser Cheryl Voordenhout said in an email that the service has noticed a small rise in interest from people about joining, but it's impossible to pinpoint the cause.
She said the police service received 140 applications in the first quarter of 2023, 50 of which came in March alone. In 2022, those numbers were 130 applications for the first quarter of the year, 30 of which were received in March.
“It is still early, and there is no way to say with certainty what the cause is for the increase, but we can state that recruiting has increased marginally.”
Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan were killed by a 16-year-old boy after responding to a family dispute in northwest Edmonton.
The boy also shot his mother, who remains in hospital, before killing himself with the gun. The shootings are still under investigation.
On Monday, a regimental funeral was held for Ryan and Jordan that was attended by thousands of officers from across Canada and the United States, as well as emergency medical services and fire department members.
During the Wednesday press conference, Morgan and Edmonton Police Association president Curtis Hoople detailed the mental health resources that are available to officers and their families.
Hoople and Morgan both thanked the community for their ongoing support.
“It was magic,” said Hoople of the regimental funeral.
Quebec provincial police Sgt. Maureen Breau was fatally stabbed Monday night during an arrest.
Morgan said her death has added to the grief in Edmonton and that officers in the city stand with Quebec police during their time of mourning.
“Just like every other police agency across Canada and into the United States supported us, and were there for us because it gave us the strength, the resilience, to get through this together, we will also offer those same supports to them as well,” she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.