AMHERST – Three new policemen were sworn in yesterday at the Amherst Police Department.
“We were sworn in and appointed as police officers this morning and had an orientation,” new recruit, Dan Pedersen, said. “We did a lot of paper work and other administrative work and are getting used to how things are done here.”
Pedersen is originally from Amherst but spent seven years working for the RCMP in Dawson Creek, B.C., and Toronto. “After being away for a while it felt like the right time to come back and I thought I’d throw my name in the hat here and see what happened, and I ended up getting the job,” he said.
Pedersen is the veteran of the new recruits. Joining him is Randy Babineau of Moncton, who graduated from the Atlantic Police Academy in 2010, and Jade Pratt of Tatamagouche, who graduated from the Atlantic Police Academy in September.
Babineau and Pratt both said police work offers the opportunity to take on new challenges every day.
“It’s something I wanted to do because it’s never boring,” Pratt said. Babineau agrees. “Every day offers something different, so it’s definitely not boring,” he said. And it also offers the opportunity to help others, Pedersen said.
“It’s not the only way to help others but its one way to do it,” he said.
Babineau said a good policeman needs to be a people person and needs to be honest. “And they need to be patient as well,” Pratt added.
Pedersen said police work is always changing...
dmathieson@amherstdaily.com
