Photo: After retiring from the Calgary Police Service, Todd Robertson was accepted as an experienced officer and became a member of the RCMP, stationed in the Three Hills detachment. Rural Alberta Report / David Nadeau

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I live with my family on an acreage near Three Hills; we have horses, chickens, and shop cats that patrol the yard like experienced officers on night shift.  

I want to continue in law enforcement until my body no longer lets me. My lifestyle keeps me active; it’s a physical job. Besides keeping healthy so it can carry me through life, I'm an avid weightlifter. I wear lots of gear on a typical shift and drive around with all that weight on my waist. Without constant motion and keeping our backs and core strong, back and hip injuries can be career ending.  

After starting with Calgary Police Service (CPS) in 1997, I spent my first few years on uniform patrol and advanced through several units—uniform and plainclothes—before retiring twenty-six years later. I was an acting sergeant for two years before becoming a sergeant. With CPS I worked on a joint RCMP/municipal police unit called the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team. I had an RCMP partner on firearms trafficking and was a firearms court expert.

Explain your statement about being in uniform for so long.

I joined Air Cadets at 13, the Army Reserve at 18, the Scottish police at 20, and then CPS. Retiring from CPS was a daunting prospect which I probably would not have done without the opportunity to trade one badge for anther. I started with the Force in 2023, two weeks after leaving CPS.

Recruits face a six-month training program. Yours was different.

For experienced officers, it’s two weeks, followed by field training. Those two weeks focus on policy, use of force, weapons, and expectations of life in the RCMP. We went through medical and fitness testing but had no physical training like regular recruits. Depot [RCMP national training academy, Regina] is a world class facility and I love its history and tradition. Remember, I was also in the army and had basic training three times—the army reserve, the Scottish police, and CPS, so the regimented life suits me.

Becoming a Mountie recognizes experience and a desire to serve. It’s called the Reserve Program. I belong to divisional headquarters [K Division—all of Alberta] and can be moved around the province to fill scheduling gaps or assist with investigations and special projects. Depends on my experience and expertise. I’m with the Three Hills detachment, a perfect fit, to work in the community I live in.

Filling scheduling gaps has already seen me assist five detachments with front-line patrol and occasional plainclothes investigations.

Yes, I’m content with the rank assigned me: senior constable. After being a sergeant for many years, I enjoy being front-line again. Leaving boardrooms and budget sheets to focus on calls for service, investigations, and putting my experience to work on the front-line is a unique experience.

Did you join the Force with a years-of-service target.

As a CPS sergeant, much of my work was supervision and administration. We learn incident command and leadership rather than patrol-specific functions. The last chunk of my service was as an investigator, where I honed my interviewing, court, and case management skills. CPS was always good to me and I have nothing negative to say. I weathered 30 years without any major injuries or PTSD, so I can keep going for a while. Joining another police agency with different computer systems and vehicle technology was like being a rookie. With this like a new career, combined with the added excitement of rural policing, I don’t see me retiring anytime soon.

Ed. note: Cst. Robertson’s concluding article is scheduled for next week.