Week 22: Teamwork and building community connections

Kairos Blanket Exercise

Depot continues to provide cadets and employees opportunities that foster truth and reconciliation. We collaborate with local Knowledge Keepers and Elders, provide training and host events.

It is about now in training that cadets take part in the Kairos Blanket Exercise. Elders, Knowledge Keepers and educators created this program in response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

This interactive workshop explores the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. The activities focus on truth, sharing and open dialogue. Cadets find this experience very impactful.

Participating in the Kairos Blanket Exercise allowed me to learn from past mistakes and to move forward with a better understanding of what my police presence will look like. Learning from past mistakes will help me be compassionate and caring in the field.

Missing person investigations

Cadets learn how to conduct missing person investigation while at Depot. There many factors to consider, including evidence provided by the reporting person. Community partnerships are important in these high-risk cases. Policies and procedures are in place to help guide these investigations.

During this training, cadets also learn about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry. MMIWG has had an impact on how missing persons cases are handled across Canada.

Running with a police dog

Cadets learn what they need to do as backup to a dog handler in a long foot chase. To apply these skills, cadets complete a distance run while dressed in uniform. This simulates running on a dog track.

At the end of the run, cadets assess their personal readiness for providing backup to a dog handler. It gives them a glimpse of whether they are physically ready to perform a duty like this once they graduate.

From time to time, police dogs do visit Depot. Previously, there was a retired police dog who came to work with a facilitator and joined in on runs with cadets.