Reading to preschoolers on the first day of his field placement with the Leduc RCMP detachment was a childhood dream come true for Conor McGhee. The second-year Police and Investigations student was only four years old when he decided what he wanted to be when he grew up.

“I’ve always wanted to go into policing, but I never realized just how many different career paths you could take,” he says. “After spending that first day of my practicum working under a community policing and victim services officer, I knew a community-involved role is exactly what I wanted to do for a living.”                              

Even a mid-winter dip into the frigid waters of Lake Summerside didn’t change his mind. On January 29, McGhee was the fourth member of the Leduc RCMP’s team, the “Copsicles,” to participate in the Alberta Special Olympics Polar Plunge. 

Conor McGhee (far right) with officers from the Leduc RCMP detachment before they jumped into Lake Summerside. 

“I got to see and experience so much,” says McGhee of his field placement. In addition to a range of community policing activities, he spent a night shift with dispatchers taking calls at RCMP headquarters in Edmonton; observed general duty patrol officers, small-detachment policing and school resource officers; and spent time at the Enoch Cree Nation. 

“I’m Aboriginal, and it was cool to experience culturally aware policing – to see my own culture represented in my future career,” he says.

As his field placement drew to a close, McGhee was invited to join the procession for two fallen Edmonton Police Service Officers. 

“It was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had. I know this career comes with risk, but that day, the reality set in. Seeing the community out – the people I will be protecting in my future career – was really moving.” 

Now, McGhee is heading home to Saskatoon and hopes he will soon hear about his applications to the Saskatoon Police Service and the RCMP. 

“The two years of my program have flown by,” he says. “Our second-year field placement is a big deal –  and the main reason I decided to come to MacEwan. Having the chance to observe and experience policing in this way has only reinforced my passion for my chosen career.”

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