A Day In The Life of an RCMP officer

It’s all about making a difference in the community.

Those were the sentiments of Const. Tisha Parsons, a four-year member of Ridge Meadows RCMP, and the rookie she is now training, Const. Scott Marshall, who started in his new job on March 28.

Marshall, 31, who recently started with the Ridge Meadows RCMP after completing depot in Saskatchewan, said he was drawn to police work because of how meaningful the job is – being able to protect the community.

“I want to feel like when I go home at the end of my days – or at least some of my days – that I’ve actually helped people and that maybe society is a little safer because of what I did,” he said.

Parsons had always wanted to become a police officer since she was a child, but had to overcome numerous obstacles along the way – a lot of those personal.

Now, at 42, she is pleased to be able to make a difference in the community she serves.

The most challenging aspect of policing for her is time management, Parsons noted.

“It’s really important that you are able to manage your time properly because not only are we dealing with calls that are happening in that moment, we also have a list of calls that we previously dealt with that may require further investigation and/or follow up,” she explained.

“It’s so important that you don’t let past files kind of fall to the wayside. You kind of need to keep up with everything,” said Parsons, adding that this is something she has stressed to Marshall – the need to stay on top of your cue.

“Because once you get to a point where, you know, it’s not manageable, it becomes really stressful and that stress can really affect somebody – both physically and emotionally,” she said.

Marshall’s biggest challenge, so far, is learning as he goes. But, he acknowledged, there is no other way to train.

“It’s a lot,” he admitted. “Sometimes it just feels like I have no idea what I am doing. And as I go, I start to figure it out and Tisha helps me out and gives me a couple of avenues of ways to do certain things and then talks about how it was done and how it could be done better in the future.”

“That’s the fastest way to learn,” he said.

Marshall admitted he is not entirely sure where his career with the RCMP will take him.

Right now he just wants to discover what duties he enjoys doing. Although, he noted, what interests him currently is the emergency response team, the dog squad, and maybe even forensics.

“But as I go through, maybe I will find something completely different that I like,” he said.

Parsons’ interests lie in First Nations policing or possibly major crimes, an investigations support department, or a domestic violence unit.

“I like the bigger files that require a little bit more investigation work,” she said.

For now, though, both enjoy the feeling they get after having a good day and doing something positive for society.