Sergeant Jackie George
Why did I become a police officer for Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS)?
I have always been proud of First Nations Policing and First Nation police officers, mainly my own family members. I am the 11th person in my family to become a police officer, and the only female in the family to do so (so far). I am from the Kettle and Stony Point FN.
Previous to joining NAPS, I worked as an administrative assistant at the RCMP “O” Division Detachment in London, Ontario. While I was there, the RCMP members told me about NAPS. I prepared by learning and obtaining all of the qualifications and requirements to apply. After receiving my application, NAPS replied back that there was a vacancy in Wunnumin Lake First Nation and after reviewing my application, they wanted me to work there. I was very happy and did some online research to find out more about Wunnumin Lake. I felt that NAPS was a great fit for me and what I wanted to do in my policing career.
I was sworn in with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, North West Region, on April 12, 1999. In 2022, I am happy to have 23 years of service to both NAPS and the NAN communities served by NAPS.
I began as a front-line constable doing general law enforcement duties up to 2003 and then I worked as a Detective Constable in the North West Crime Unit serving 23 First Nation communities as the Abuse Issues Coordinator for investigating Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Child and Elder Abuse, and also, conducting community presentations.
For two years I worked as a ViCLAS Analyst for the North Region with the Ontario Provincial Police Behavioural Sciences Section at the OPP Orillia Headquarters. ViCLAS stands for Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System which is a data driven process used to capture detailed data on crimes of interpersonal violence with a view to identifying crimes of a serial nature.
For three years I worked as the Community Initiatives Coordinator out of the NAPS Headquarters located in Thunder Bay. In 2009, I was promoted to Sergeant and for the next 11 years I worked in Recruitment and Media Relations. I also assisted the NAPS In-Service Training Unit by providing instruction support where required.
During my time in Recruitment, I was also assigned to be an Instructor in the Policing Foundation Program at Oshki Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute. I was an Instructor there for approximately one year.
Currently, I am seconded to the Ontario Police College (OPC), Applied Police Learning unit, in the Basic Constable Training (BCT) as an Instructor in Federal Law, Evidence, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Youth Criminal Justice Act, and Drugs. I am also assigned to be the Liaison Sergeant for all new NAPS recruits who attend BCT along with any other recruits as assigned by OPC. My Liaison duties include many different aspects both to the college and to our recruits, but my favourite part is to be here to keep our recruits focused and driven to succeed. I began in 2020 and will finish my secondment in 2023.