The Lloydminster RCMP have a new police officer fresh out of the Regina RCMP Academy.
Cst. Michalea Penton comes to Lloydminster from Fogo Island in New Foundland and quips they don’t even have a Tim Hortons, whereas Lloydminster has quite a few. She found out in December that her first posting would be in the Border City. Her home has a two-person detachment, and she says she was inspired by one of the officers.
“Everyone knew the cops there growing up and they are quite a positive influence in our community. There was specifically one that I remember who taught us the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. We started with that in grade six. He was just a really positive role model. His name was Cst. John Andrews,” says Penton.
The new police officer was working with students at this year’s Lloydminster Police Youth Academy and welcomed the assignment to mentor the 26 local youth who had signed up for the three-day camp over the spring break.
“There are so many different ways that you can go about being a police officer. There are so many different specialties (about 150) that you can get into. They all have individual interests and as the youth ask questions you get a chance to speak to each of them.”
Penton has discovered that Lloydminster “is a really busy town.” But she adds, “Lloydminster has everything that I need here. I don’t need a super big town. There is a lot of community support for the RCMP here and everyone that I work with has been very kind and wants to help me get the experience that I need.”
The new officer is on general duty and likes being on the beat and getting to know the community. She has interacted with the forensics, dog services and general investigation teams and may see her career follow in one of those pathways.