Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 06/99) - Kevin McLeod knows the effects of pepper spray.

"It hurts. It burns quite a bit," he said of his training experience at the RCMP depot in Regina, Sask. "The part I found hardest was that it affects your respiratory system, too. I had a hard time breathing."

Thankfully, McLeod hasn't had to use the subduing agent on the job, but he had volunteered to get a face full of it during his three weeks of training in Regina. That training was part of a 17-week federally-sponsored RCMP summer student program, which he began in May.

Since then, he's been working alongside RCMP members in his home town of Fort Providence. McLeod files paperwork, goes on patrols with the police officers and even assists with routine investigations. It wasn't something he had envisioned himself doing a few months ago. Doggedly seeking summer employment, the 19-year-old had sent resumes "all over the place." Then he got a call from the RCMP.

"It kind of caught me by surprise," he recalled. "They had to know (whether he was interested) by the end of the day...so I said, ŒSure.'"

McLeod then went off to Regina where, in addition to the pepper spray episode, he learned the basics of police sciences, marching, firearms training and self-defence. Although he has the power of arrest, he hasn't had to handcuff any perpetrators because "most people just jump in the back (of the Suburban)," he said.

For 16-year-old Sabrina McLeod, Kevin's cousin, her introduction to the job wasn't quite as harsh as Kevin's. She started her summer position with the RCMP through the eight-week territorially-sponsored program on July 1 -- Canada Day. So, she got to ride in the Suburban and wave to the spectators along the route. From that point, Sabrina, like Kevin, has been working 9 a.m.-5 p.m. shifts on weekdays and evening shifts on the weekends. She has been performing tasks such as bike registration, logging lost and found property and recording travellers' expected departure and return times as they head up and down the river.

She said she took the summer job to "check it out, to see how it is."

Now she's considering a career in the RCMP if she doesn't become a teacher. Kevin, on the other hand, said the job has been a great learning experience, but he's intent on pursuing a livelihood in computer engineering.

RCMP Cpl. Rod Tiller said the McLeods have been valuable assets, especially during the busy Mackenzie Days period and in helping the detachment's new members to settle in.

"They seem to know everybody in town," Tiller noted of the young duo. "They've been a great help so far this summer."

Naturally, Kevin and Sabrina have faced some judgment from their peers.

"They're good when they see me in uniform," Sabrina said after some hesitation and laughter.

Kevin said he's found out that "cop jokes never change."

The McLeods have also come to know the members of the RCMP as people rather than "just cops."

"It's fun working with them," Sabrina said. "They're funny."