Consider policing no matter your size, shape or colour

When I was five years old, I wanted to be a peanut farmer.

A picture of a grizzled, yet happy-looking man on the packaging of a peanut brand my family always bought inspired me. But my career path was to change many times in the years after that.

Like every young girl, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then a figure skater. Piano lessons led to dreams of being a composer. Dance classes fuelled fantasies of auditioning for the New York City ballet. I wanted to be a marine biologist because I loved the water and, finally, a journalist because I was always asking questions anyway.

But one career I’d never considered was policing.

It wasn’t because I didn’t admire the profession. It’s because, at five-foot-one and 105 pounds, I believed I was just too small to make it as an officer.

But in today’s world, that’s just not true, said Ottawa Police Special Constable Floyd Hutchinson.

“Lots of girls who have that physical build can be officers,” said Hutchinson, who works in the outreach recruitment section. “There could be a girl who’s five-foot-one and 100 pounds who is in better shape than a man who is six-foot-two and 200 pounds. Size is not a factor.”

In fact, lots of people — men and women of different shapes, sizes and skin colours, skill sets and languages — attended the recent Ottawa police recruitment information session.

Held monthly, the sessions give attendees the opportunity to ask questions about the process and to learn about other organizations, like CSIS and the military, which are also hiring, said Hutchinson.

“There’s a need for police officers across the country,” said Hutchinson. “The baby boomers are getting ready to retire,” he said.

“We need people to fill the demand.”

Instead of looking for the “big burly guys you see in old TV shows,” Hutchinson said, “today’s candidate is a bit more rounded — he or she has a fair amount of life experience, is involved in the community and speaks several languages. It’s not about bulk and brawn anymore.”
Sure, if you need to chase someone, you have to be able to do it.

But aside from physical ability, you need to be able to communicate clearly, think analytically, have self-confidence, be diverse and demonstrate self-control.

“Often, people have skills that can be transferred to policing,” said Hutchinson.
“We need people with high-tech skills. We have people in social services, to deal with people in crisis.”

Speaking more than one language is an asset.

“It’s easier to make inroads if you have an understanding about the similarities, differences and needs of someone in that culture, and can understand where they’re coming from.”

It’s nice to know I had a chance of making it as a police officer if I’d really wanted to, and that the option is open.
But don’t expect to find me chasing the bad guys anytime soon.