ESTEVAN — Policing has always been a field that requires special skills and very special people, and Estevan is lucky to have many great individuals, who serve the community and keep the public safe.
This year to mark National Police Week, celebrated from May 14-20, the Mercury turned to a couple of Estevan female police officers who made extra steps and chose special fields of interest in this already demanding job. We spoke to Const. Danielle Stephany, who is the crisis negotiator with the Estevan Police Service, and Const. Michelle Beaulieu, who recently completed her training to join the forensics unit at the EPS.
Stephany has over 25 years in emergency services. She started her career as an emergency medical technician in 1997 and served as a paramedic for 15 years, and was hired at the EPS as a dispatcher in 2008.
"Policing was always in the back of my mind," Stephany said. "Being a paramedic, we had a close relationship with the police officers here in Estevan. And I went on several ride-alongs. And the more I immersed myself into what a police officer did, the more interest I had in becoming a police officer."
She was hired as a constable with the EPS in 2010, completed her training in 2011 and has been serving Estevan in this capacity ever since. She said through work she learns something new every day, but crisis negotiation has always been of her sincere interest.
"In my years of experience as a paramedic, going into a chaotic scene and being able to calm things down, put some order as best as you can was always something that I loved doing and I believe that I was quite good at," Stephany explained. "So, I had this aspiration of seeing what crisis negotiation was all about, increasing especially in the last few years. So, prior to my crisis negotiation course, I took out a lot of communication courses, to better myself in communicating."
Stephany became an instructor in verbal judo, which is a tactical communication used to de-escalate conflict situations. She also took a two-week crisis negotiation course in Ottawa in 2018, which enhanced her skills and abilities in resolving conflicts.
"It was even more than what I thought it would be. I fell absolutely in love with it," Stephany shared.
"Just being able to help somebody who's having a crisis, even if the first hour or so all they do is hang up on you, as long as they keep picking up the phone and trying to initiate some contact, and just being able to give them an ear to understand what their crisis is, and how we can assist them … [It helped me in improving in] being able to better understand their crisis, and how we can calm them down in order for them to comply, so we can resolve the matter in a safe manner for themselves and for the police officer."
She noted crisis negotiation skills is just another tool she has as a police officer. Ninety per cent of her day-to-day duties on the street involve talking to people, and having this tool is a big asset.
"I firmly believe that we can all better ourselves in communication. Gone are the days of police just telling people, what you want them to do. We now try to make them understand why we need them to do what they need to do. It's a different approach, and I find that we get better results and less physical interaction by doing that. It might take longer, but in the end, it's a better outcome for everybody," Stephany said.
Stephany has been involved with negotiating many conflict situations in Estevan, including the armed standoff on Fourth Street in February 2022.
She is also on board with the Saskatchewan Women in Policing non-profit organization that supports, connects and mentors women in law enforcement. She said in her experience with the EP,S gender never was a factor in anything job-related.
"You are hired on as a police officer, you are a police officer," she said.
But she also noted that policing so far remains a man-dominated field and sometimes women working in it need support.
"I don't think being a female changes anything. Everybody in our police service has different backgrounds and brings different tools to whatever their role is within the police department," Stephany said.
"But we still work in a male-dominant environment. So, women are a minority within the policing world. It's getting better. Even since I've started, there are many more women that have joined. And some women feel comfortable where they are within their respective agencies, but some might have a difficult time trying to … maybe apply for promotional opportunities within their department and may tend to step back just because they are a minority. So, this group, Saskatchewan Women in Policing, helps with self-motivation, promotes inclusion, and it's open to men as well."
She added that the opportunity to learn from work is something that has kept her going and growing within the EPS for years and it’s something she enjoys about her job.
"The fact that every day is a different day, and that I get to help somebody sometimes on the worst day of their life in hopes that I can leave them in a better place, is exciting to me," Stephany said. "And honestly, I love the people I work with. We have a really good group. Especially in the last few years, I believe we've all grown even closer together. And it's a great atmosphere, which makes me want to come back as well."
Beaulieu joined EPS to follow her dream of becoming a police officer. Originally from Weyburn, she grew up next door to a policeman, who to a point became a role model for young Beaulieu.
"Ever since I was six years old, I wanted to be a police officer. And that was my goal all through life," Beaulieu shared.
Upon graduation, she entered and successfully completed the police program in Brandon and was hired by the EPS in 2013 as a special constable. She said the time she spent in school in Brandon was fitness based and made her understand the level of physical abilities and strength one would need to pass as a police officer.
"Women have a little bit harder time passing those requirements, but I never felt like I couldn't do something because I'm a female, because females can do the same things, just in a different way, and we bring different services and experiences," Beaulieu shared.
She was a special constable with the EPS for five years before becoming a constable. Beaulieu said she felt supported by her colleagues through her growth into the new role and never encountered any limitations or issues because of being a woman.
"I definitely feel like I am just a member of the police service. There are five females and they're all great. We all bring different attributes to the police service," Beaulieu said. "I think that the days of the male-dominated roles are nearing an end because women bring a great deal of specialty to the police service and bring different angles of where we can assist.
“And I think that being a female police officer is very inspiring to young females, showing that they can do anything. They can do what men can do. And we have a very good police service in that. There is no separation, but we all have different roles."
She continued with growth within the department and recently took more training to join the forensics unit, which she had a strong interest in for a while.
"I took a level 2 collision reconstruction course, and I really enjoyed the analytics of it, the numbers side of it and the evidence gathering and the fact-finding part of it … That's when I became interested in forensics."
The two months of special-intense training took her to the Canadian Police College in Ottawa. She passed the requirements in March this year but has been apprenticing with the local unit since March 2022. And she says the new role makes her appreciate her job even more.
"I absolutely love being a police officer. It's such a cliché, but I like helping people going into situations where they are in their worst times and trying to make a difference. I love investigating. I love working on files and finding different angles of things. I love interacting with the public too," Beaulieu shared, adding that she also appreciates the range of career opportunities officers have with the EPS.
