Cadet graduates celebrate
By Lethbridge Herald on June 1, 2020.
Greg Bobinec
Lethbridge Herald
gbobinec@lethbridgeherald.com
To celebrate their hard work during school, graduation ceremonies of the 2020 Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS), Blood Tribe Police Service (BTPS) and the Taber Police Service (TPS) Cadet training program took place Friday. Due to the COVID-19 health restrictions, the ceremony was closed to members of the public.
Twelve cadets graduated from the 20-week training program, including one TSP, four BTPS and seven MHPS cadets, who met or exceeded the provincial standards in the areas of police recruit training. The cadets also received academic accreditation through Lethbridge College for the knowledge and skills they acquired through this competency-based educational program.
“The strength of the partnership between the college and the Medicine Hat, Blood Tribe and Taber Police Services allowed us to be adaptable and flexible, despite the unique challenges COVID-19 presented,” says Jeanie Webber, Dean of Lethbridge College’s Centre for Justice and Human Services.
“We were able to facilitate an exceptional blended educational and training experience for the cadets. We are honoured to assist our police partners with preparing cadets for their policing careers and congratulate the cadets on their graduation.”
The training program is the result of a collaborative partnership between the MHPS, BTPS, TPS, Lethbridge Police Services and Lethbridge College. While a traditional classroom environment played an important role, much of the learning and assessment took place in real-life settings throughout the community. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, adjustments to program delivery allowed learning to continue seamlessly in a virtual environment to ensure the safety of the cadets and instructors.
“We are fortunate to have this partnership where an innovative police recruit curriculum and first class instruction has been developed within this police academy model,” says Graham Alberta, TPS Chief. “Together we can achieve greatness in public safety, and this is simply another excellent example of how we do things right in southern Alberta. I would like to thank the MHPS for its leadership and support to our organization in this regard, and Lethbridge College for its commitment to police training and the development of our new officers.”
The cadets will be returning to their communities to join their respective agencies and begin their policing careers to serve their communities.
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