Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Resolute Bay (Feb 14/00) - What started as a good idea ended up exceeding everyone's wildest dreams.

Just moments after Const. Kevin Sudlovenick went on the air in Resolute Bay to talk about his recent RCMP cadet training and graduation, youth from the community expressed interest in joining the police force.

"Right when I was on the radio with Kevin, I had somebody phone the radio station, a youth, asking about the summer student program," said Cpl. Lorne Adamitz, the brains behind the successful plot.

Sudlovenick made history last year when he and five other men successfully completed RCMP training as part of an all-Inuit troop.

After breaking through the barriers and stereotypes, the group of constables was touted for the job they would do serving as role models to other youth across Nunavut.

That's something Adamitz recognized immediately. In charge of the Resolute Bay detachment, he said he thought it necessary to bring Sudlovenick, a former resident of Resolute Bay now employed as a constable in Rankin Inlet, into the community to talk about his accomplishments.

Sudlovenick gave three different presentations at Qarmartalik school and told his former peers about the challenges and rewards he faced while going through his training.

"He made himself available to the community members who knew him. The younger individuals circled around him and that's where the true questions were answered. They saw him as Kevin and not as a cop."

At the end of the three-day visit in January, two women from the community came forward to express an interest in working as RCMP summer students.

Adamitz said their interest indicated that the police force was becoming more responsible and open to the people it served.

"One of the high priorities of the RCMP is to be representative of the communities we serve in," he said.

As for Sudlovenick, it's been four months since he's been active in the field and, given the challenges of the job, he said all has gone well.

"As long as you keep a positive view on everything, you can get by," said Sudlovenick, from the detachment in Rankin Inlet.

He said the role he played in encouraging other Inuit to join the force made him feel proud.

"It makes me feel good knowing I'm giving out a good image."