Inspired ACTION

Inspiration comes in many forms. To feel inspired renews one in a way that can only lead to positive changes and a renewed outlook on life. A fresh start often gives us the hope we need to step into an abyss where often every road can lead to pain, conflict and ultimately failure to the realization of a long lost dream. Recently I realized that to be truly happy in this life I must relentlessly pursue a long lost dream, something that has eluded me, but has always been at the back of my mind, policing. 

Late last year I had the unique opportunity to meet Sergeant Jay Turner of the Hamilton Police Service, he is just one of the many proud and unwavering front line police officers in the fair city of Hamilton, Ontario. He heads up Action Team 4, just one of 5 teams in the Hamilton downtown core who patrol the city on bicycles and foot. Their purpose is to engage and interact with citizens who would otherwise have no avenue to speaking with and voicing real concerns in fledgling communities within the inner city. They quell crime and address trends within these communities. Their success can easily be seen in monthly crime statistics in these troublesome areas of the city. I must confess I looked up to Jay long before I ever met him, he is the epitome of respect within a battleground of negativity and can often be found on Twitter fielding questions and concerns from citizens and leaders within the city and beyond. It doesn't matter if he has answered the question infinite times before; his dedication to his followers is really unprecedented within a service that often can be deemed secretive and paramilitary in nature. It is quite refreshing to see the human aspect of policing in his daily tweets. I for one appreciate his candor and sense of humour and often feel cheated when I miss a day of his interactions. When I met Jay I had the opportunity ride back into the core with him and speak one-on-one. We spoke of policing and just life in general, while we rode you could easily see the respect he garnered within the community, waves and gestures from the sidewalk ilk and while we rode side by side not one car honked in anger as we took up the curb lane on busy Main street West. It will be a day that I will never forget and really took me back to the days of my college education where I had the opportunity to complete 100 hours of ride along with the Hamilton Police Service. These days my reasons for pursuing a career in policing are much different than when I was much younger. I have lived a lot of life since then; I have worn many different hats, experienced loss, insurmountable negativity and a long painful road back to happiness and understanding. Often times it takes awhile to realize our place and calling in life; I guess I have been standing on the sidelines waiting for my shot in the game. I genuinely feel that I can make a difference in Hamilton, a listening ear, and a firm hand to squash the ire of negativity within our community. 

This October I will have the opportunity to attend Citizen’s Police College, an information course conducted by the Hamilton Police Service to provide valuable information with regards to the inner workings and departments within the service. It has been years since I have been in school so it should be quite interesting to experience and learn just what is new and ultimately come away with a better understanding of my goal. This past year I have been preparing myself physically and mentally for what is certain to be a very arduous and competitive process. My goal is to begin the application procedure in the spring or early summer of 2013. I have much to attain before I can begin; for one I must start volunteering, something I have never really done for the long term and finding the time for this will be a challenge in itself but it’s really just a case of better time management on my part. Where I will volunteer is another issue. Teens really seem to respond to me in a positive way and I hope to find a place within an outreach center or group home. I want to learn a second language, the Italian culture has always been of interest to me so I hope to get started in a course to learn the language and show my commitment to ongoing betterment and education. I really hope to avoid overwhelming myself as I do not have a huge support system so most of what I will accomplish in the next year will take a commitment from within. I know it’s going to be difficult but if I truly believe in myself and my capabilities I know I can achieve a goal that has thus far eluded me my entire life. 

I would just like to thank Jay for his inspiration, and even though I know he will accept zero credit for it he should realize just how many lives he touches on a daily basis within the community, whether he wishes to acknowledge it or not.