Yellowknife (July 02/04) - After spending a day with an RCMP officer, Grade 6 student Alinar Dapilos has learned at least one thing. "They do a lot more than I thought," Dapilos said mid-way through a day he spent tagging along with RCMP Const. Kerri Riehl.

"They do so much paperwork."

The Weledeh student won his chance to be a cop for a day after drawing a winning poster symbolizing what the RCMP meant to him. The contest was designed to celebrate Police Week, May 9-15, and was open to all Grade 6 students in Yellowknife, Riehl said. About 40 students entered the contest.

The poster featured flags of Canadian provinces and territories -- a hand-drawn map of Canada. A pair of RCMP officers on horseback are pictured beside the slogan "Canada can never be without the RCMP."

"They're needed all over Canada, and they protect us," Dapilos said, who has thought "a little bit" about becoming a police officer when he grows up.

During the day, Dapilos had a chance to tour around in the front seat of a police cruiser, go on a downtown patrol, as well as tour the RCMP detachment and cell block. He even had his fingerprints taken for the first time.

Tour of the cell block

The tour of the cell block was particularly memorable.

"If I was in there it would be kind of freaky because there's some hard beds," he said.

Dapilos' poster has also been entered in another contest for a possible trip to Ottawa.