When Amy Handrahan was a very young girl, she went to a performance of the RCMP's Musical Ride and from that moment on, she knew she wanted to be a Mountie. She recalls the impact seeing the red serge uniforms and the teamwork of the riders had on her, "I was amazed at what I saw with them, and I could just see myself doing the same thing.
Growing up in Eastern, Prince Edward Island, Amy was a keen athlete; she was into all kinds of sports, but excelled at hockey, knowing that her abilities in sports and her experience developing team building skills would pay off as part of her anticipated police career. In high school, Amy recalls the day she received devastating news regarding an injury she suffered, "I was told I had a torn meniscus, would require surgery and that I would never pass the physical requirements to be a Mountie as a result," she says. "You can only imagine the impact that had on me. The one and only thing I wanted to do as a career, I was now being told by a medical professional I couldn't do" adds Amy.
Well, still wanting to be active, Amy headed off to university, attending Saint Francis Xavier university, in Nova Scotia, where she continued to play hockey, while earning a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics. As a member of the hockey team, she met the head athletic therapist who would turn Amy's life around. "Playing hockey at St. FX, was the best thing for me, because I met a therapist who recognized that first diagnosis on my knee wasn't accurate, and thanks to her, I received a second diagnosis, which she then treated me for, I was able to get better," says Amy.
Amy recalls being home at Christmas in her last year of university, now with a healthy knee, and watching the movie Stolen Miracle, in which a female police officer plays the lead role in finding an abducted child. I knew being a cop was all I ever wanted to be," Amy says and "I told my mom right then and there that's what my career would be, and I was going to apply when I got back to university" she says.
"I spent five years at university, and was ready to realize my dream," Amy says. "My Grade 1 teacher told me, there is no such word as can't and I have lived by that motto ever since." I applied to the RCMP, and although it took some time for my application to make it's way through, I arrived at Depot in July of 2006, and it was happening," she adds. For many new cadets, those first three weeks at Depot can be challenging, and Amy was no exception. You might be a bit homesick, the new routine can seem overwhelming, you're meeting so many new people, and you have high expectations of yourself. But Amy quickly came to enjoy her time at Depot. "I learned so much there, I loved the fitness aspects of course, because of my sports background, and the teamwork was something I really enjoyed – we were all there to help each other," she says.
Amy also has very fond memories of her instructors and facilitators. "There was a Sergeant who ran with me one time, on a 10 km run. He saw I was struggling and said 'OK Amy, let's just run to that tree, and then let's run to that corner, then let's run to that bench' he made the run into little pieces and pushed me to succeed, and I've never forgotten that support," says Amy. She also realized from her experience playing men's hockey for so many years, how to succeed in traditionally male dominated environments. "I knew how to stand up for myself, I knew I'd have to prove myself, but I knew how teamwork can make a real difference," adds Amy. And succeed she did – Amy graduated from RCMP Depot, reaching her dream, in January of 2007.
Her first posting would be to Richmond, B.C., again, a long way from her P.E.I. home. But Amy looks back on that as one of the best things the RCMP offers its members – the chance to see Canada and experience all the country has to offer. Amy would spend 9 ½ years in Richmond building experience in general duty policing and serious crime, which provided a large experience and strong background in investigating various crimes. "I really loved B.C., the people I worked with and the people I got to know in the community of Richmond were incredible," Amy says. "It was a fantastic place to go for my first posting and I really appreciated getting to be that far away from home, to experience another part of our country, and to be involved in so many different cultures and activities. It really helped shape me as a better person and, I think, made me a better police officer."
While serving in B.C., Amy would have another experience that would shape her career and take her in a new direction…literally and figurately. She would go north to Watson Lake in the Yukon. "I went up to the Yukon while living in B.C. to visit family, and I fell in love with it. I love the snow, and the cold, the wilderness of the place, it was amazing to me, and I wanted to be a police officer in the Yukon," says Amy. So, she spoke to her staffing officers, and as you can imagine, they were thrilled to have someone who was looking to come into the Territory.
Amy truly embraced what it means to live in the Yukon. She connected with the people, the place, its traditions and customs, and further developed her positive approaches to policing. "I can count on one hand the number of times I had to use my handcuffs while I was there," she says. And that's not because there were so few calls, rather it was all due to Amy's approach to people, the respect she showed them and the way she immersed herself in everything the Yukon had to offer. "The Yukon is very community oriented, and the First Nations people there I came to truly admire, and wanted to know more about them," she recalls. "I quickly learned, that if you give to the community outside of policing, they will give back to you; people develop a respect for you and see you as more than just a cop and I can tell you that made the job that much easier."
Over her six years in the Yukon, Amy would regularly engage with schools, and youth, where she could see the impact her presence had on kids, building confidence and trust in police. "Kids would see how I treated them, and I'd ask them to do the same to others; over time they really came to trust me and I could see them doing the same to others," says Amy. She took on a transfer to the community of Teslin where she deepened her connections with the First Nation communities, learning how to do traditional bead-work, making moccasins, and learning how to work with Moose, other hides, and fur. Amy saw first-hand how learning the ways of the land and its peoples can make a stranger break down misconceptions and build trust and friendships, many of which she still has to this day.
While Amy was living in B.C. her family always kidded her that at some time she'd have to come back home, because she couldn't possibly move any farther away! In 2022, that opportunity would come to Amy, and she would make her way back to P.E.I. In the height of a global pandemic, Amy packed her police gear and shipped it to the Island; she also packed her car with her personal items and in January, left the Yukon to drive across Canada. "It was a great drive, to be honest, that I was fortunate to share with my mother. I saw so much of the country, but if you remember, during that time, the truckers were building their convoys to protest COVID, and we would get caught up in some long lines of trucks and protests, it was kind of crazy!"
Amy was posted to the West Prince Detachment and in August 2023, took on the role of Indigenous Police Liaison with Lennox Island First Nation, something she once again embraced fully. "I love my job, I have the experience of working alone, but I know I am part of team up in Prince, and being part of the Lennox Island community makes me feel right at home," says Amy. "I started, Beading with a Mountie, where I am joined by individuals from the community to sit and bead together. It is open to everyone and for those who don't know how to bead, I teaching the skills I was so graciously taught by my friends in Teslin; I'm learning the Mi'kmaq language and trying to learn as much as I can about the culture. I believe to best serve the communities we serve, we must learn all we can about the community. I want to build that respect and trust I know is so important to the job," says Amy.
What would Constable Handrahan say to women, or anyone, thinking about a career with the RCMP? "Go for it! Don't let can't stand in your way. And don't go back home for your first posting; see Canada, go somewhere you've never been because it will strengthen you as a person and your career. It made such a huge difference for me, and I've loved every bit of my service."
Constable Amy Handrahan, with PEI RCMP is just one of the incredible women the RCMP is proud to recognize as we honour 50 Years of Women Police Officers in the RCMP.