'My way of giving back': Police officer on Alberta First Nation force proud to serve his community
CBC
Const. Kenny Big Plume knows the snow-covered roads running through the Tsuut'ina reserve like the back of his hand.
Big Plume, 33, was raised by his grandparents on the First Nation, which butts up against the southwest edge of Calgary.
Six years ago, he became a member of the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service, one of three First Nation forces in Alberta.
"I'm very proud of my culture, of my community," said Big Plume, as he steers the police SUV along icy roads. After several years of living off-reserve, he moved back to Tsuut'ina and built a home for his wife and children.
"This was my way of giving back. This is my way of making an impact, making a difference."
The calls come in slowly on his day shift. He stops to talk to the driver of a car that has slid into the ditch. She has already called for a tow truck.
There are scheduled check-ins and some targeted patrols, including around a Costco and the casino.
"We try to follow the school buses in the mornings to try and make sure people aren't passing the buses," Big Plume adds.
"We get a lot of complaints from the schools and the bus drivers about erratic drivers passing when the red lights are out."
He heads into the police station and locks up his pistol before going to the cells, where brightly coloured murals by local artists stretch across some of the walls. It makes them "a little more homey" and "brings our culture into things," he said.
The cells usually house two or three prisoners each night. During the summer powwow season, he said, there can be up to 20.
Big Plume used to work as a welder and said the transition to police officer wasn't easy for the first couple years, as many of the 2,000 residents know who he is, and some are family and friends.
He's had to respond to calls at his parents' place and homes of his cousins and friends.
"I've been on calls where people know where I live," he said.
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