Way back in early 2003, Winkler’s newest police constable, Chris Kalansky, just a few months on the job, was saddled with a cub reporter from the Winkler Times for a police ride-along.
The overnight shift highlighted how Winkler’s then mere handful of officers kept the community safe at all hours, patrolling the streets and apprehending criminals.
In the intervening years, Kalansky rose through the ranks to become Winkler’s deputy chief, leading the department alongside Chief Ryan Hunt for the past eight years.
As he prepared for his final days on the job ahead of retirement, Kalansky was kind enough to take that same reporter on one more ride-along to bookend his career.
Here’s a few of the thoughts he shared on that last patrol:
Voice: When you look back, did a career in policing live up to what you were hoping for?
Kalansky: I think it’s honest to say that I had no idea what I was truly getting myself into. It’s hard to describe until you actually do the job.
The career is certainly not ordinary. You go to a lot of calls for service that are traumatic, very emotional calls. Sometimes you can be helpful and maybe do some good work, other times it’s just heart-wrenching. So you have those highs and lows.
V: Does policing change a person? Do you look at the world differently now?
K: I do think that policing does change your personality a little bit. It is tough on you because what somebody might see once in a lifetime police will see on a monthly basis.
You’re always on some level of alertness. On duty, off duty. But I look at our community and we live in a great place. We live in one of the safest communities in the country, and Canada is one of the safest countries in the world, and I appreciate that.
Police deal with those issues that affect the public, those safety issues, but overall I’d say we live in a great place … people don’t need to walk in fear here.
One of the things I like about this community is that, having lived here for 30 years now, is you have you so many connections. I can walk into a business and talk to a business owner and say, hey, we’ve seen this or can you help me out with this and they’re readily willing to help out.
And these business owners know that we’re here to help them as well. So there’s that partnership, that relationship that develops over the years which I think is very valuable.
V: How has the community and the job changed?
K: The community itself has doubled in size, but the change in policing has been even larger. The use of computers, the use of digital technology, the legal requirements, the expertise of our officers, the training expectations, the community expectations have all grown so much since we started.
When I started we had a handful of forms and we had a couple portable radios and one cell phone. The change has been amazing. It’s improved us, but it has been a tremendous amount of change that we’ve experienced.
V: Over the years, there has been a shift, certainly in larger urban centres but perhaps smaller ones as well, in how people view the police, often taking a more negative stance against them. Have you felt that here at all?
K: We do surveys every couple of years and we have a very high rating within the general public. There’s always instances that people don’t understand or like, or sometimes police have to take actions they don’t agree with, but overall I think there is a great deal of trust and respect for policing within the community in general. And police can’t take that for granted. Every day we have to go out and build that again.
The idea of community policing isn’t just a concept. I really believe in it.
V: How has the work-life balance been for you the past 20 years?
K: Shift work certainly takes a toll. But I think if you have an understanding family, it’s doable. The hours are very tough, however somebody has to be out there protecting the community when everyone else is sleeping and on weekends and all that.
You’re going to miss a lot of things, family gatherings and special events, that’s just the nature of it. And you’re going to get call outs, you’re going to get questions when you’re off-duty, people approaching you, especially being in a small town. That’s the good part of it and the bad part of it.
It’s nice that people are willing to approach us and ask questions. I think it’s a sign of a healthy relationship.”
V: Have you enjoyed being deputy chief?
K: The patrol officers go out and they patrol the streets, they do investigations, they’re the forward-facing aspect of the police service. Being on the administrative side, your job is to make sure the police service keeps running … so that the members are free to go out and actual police.
I took the role because I thought I could help out there, and I think I have. I’m a strong believer in trying to leave the place better than you found it, and hopefully I’ve accomplished some of that.”
V: Looking back, what advice would you have for the 30-something Chris as he embarked on this career?
K: Just enjoy every day. Do the best you can.
It’s been a great adventure. I’d do it all over again if I was given a chance.
This interview has been
edited for length and clarity.
