Jennifer

What is your job?

I work as a Detachment Services Assistant (DSA) for the Portage detachment, one of the largest in Manitoba. I work as a court and Crown liaison, so all the Crown requests come through me, as well as all the trial notices and subpoenas. I also assist with training the new DSAs, so I help people out every day. There is also a DSA course that they give in person at headquarters, and I’m one of the presenters. I give presentations on court documents and how to use PDFs more effectively using tips and tricks with shortcuts. I helped with the transition from paper to electronic documents for court packs here at our detachment.

What do you like about your job?

The officers you’re working with are a cut above. They’re really educated, and articulate. They want to be where they are. I’ve always been appreciated for whatever assistance I can give. I’m kind of a helper person. I’m very good at organizing stuff. When the members are busy going to get the bad guy, they need somebody to organize the papers, right? I’ve been on a project or two where I worked with some undercover operators, so that was fun. I got to do all the photo packs and the court packs for the operation. It’s different every single day.

What made you want to work with the RCMP?

Initially, it was a good job in a small town. But then once you’re in, it pulls you back. I left to be a stay-at-home mom for a bit, and then when a position opened, I was asked by the sergeant if I wanted to come back, and I said yes.

I first worked at the small detachment in my hometown and later in my career I worked for a detachment in Alberta before coming here to Manitoba. I wanted to come back to the job because it’s very dynamic, it’s busy. Every day is a new day, and the things that happen here? You cannot make them up.