Calgary police to host bootcamp for women interested in joining CPS

For the first time the Calgary Police Service is offering a bootcamp session just for women interested in joining CPS, with a two-day physical skills test course and mentorship session.

Officers say its part of a major recruitment initiative.

"We need to hire the best people and sometimes the best people are women," said Sgt. Angie Tetley, recruiting outreach sergeant with CPS.

She later added, "Women often don't consider themselves as valuable candidates as police officers. So this bootcamp is an opportunity for them to come to our facilities, check it out and really be exposed to the physical aspects of policing."

"We need to hire the best people and sometimes the best people are women," said Sgt. Angie Tetley, recruiting outreach sergeant with CPS.

SETTING THE STANDARD

All officers are required to meet the same specific physical standards regardless of gender.

The physical skills training course is set up in the training facilities at the CPS Westwinds headquarters.

All components were designed to simulate skills needed by sworn officers carrying out their duties.

Some of the exercise machines are specifically designed for police-work training, and can't be found in standard fitness gyms.

One mimics "grappling an offender" while another mimics handcuffing one.

"There's no gender, time differences or weight differences (in the physical skills test). The machines are calibrated before every test. We ensure the weight that's supposed to be on them is indeed on them," said Corinne Swirsky, CPS fitness unit.

MULTIPLE SKILLS

The bootcamp runs over a two-day period May 27-28 with 36 women who have expressed interest in applying for CPS.

Officers say there will also be opportunities to ask other female officers about work-life balance, with family priorities.

"It's going to be physically challenging, demanding, but super supportive with a bunch of amazing officers from CPS who are going to push them, inspire them and tell them what its really like to be a female police officer in Calgary," said Sgt. Tetley.

"There's 100 different avenues once you're here and in the career that you could go down. And not everyone wants to do it, but somebody does and we need those people to obviously make everything work," said Const. Elana Lovell, from the skills and procedures unit.

All the spaces for the May bootcamp have been filled, but CPS officials say they hope to host a second session in the fall.