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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
At 30 years of age, Marcus Paddock - the corporal at the RCMP Detachment in Fort Smith - is an 11-year veteran of the force. Paddock joined in October of 2001.

Two stripes on his shoulder indicate Marcus Paddock is a corporal at the Fort Smith detachment of the RCMP. - NNSL file photo

"I got in pretty young. I was 19 when I got in," he said, recalling he applied to join the RCMP a month after he finished high school in his hometown of Brandon, Man., and was off to training within a year.

"In my troop, I was the youngest for sure," he said. "You get a few guys that are younger."

Paddock first became interested in being a Mountie at about 11 years of age when his family toured the RCMP training centre in Regina - a tour that was guided at that time by an officer in red serge.

"I can still remember that almost as clear as day, going there and going for the tour," Paddock said, adding he really started thinking about joining the RCMP when he was in Grade 10 or 11.

Law enforcement is in his family - his father has been a city police constable in Brandon for 43 years.

The corporal also said he joined the RCMP for the opportunity to see more of Canada.

Before moving to Fort Smith in March, Paddock served in four different detachments in Saskatchewan.

"Actually, this was a promotion for me to come up here," he said of his move to Fort Smith, where he became a corporal for the first time after serving as a constable in Saskatchewan.

"I had an interest to come up here for a few years, and I didn't get the opportunity before. So when I saw the job opening, I applied for it and got it," he said.

As the corporal in Fort Smith, Paddock explained he is responsible for the operational side of the detachment.

That includes supervising six constables, reviewing their files, scheduling and ensuring files are ready for court. Meanwhile, the sergeant is the detachment commander with responsibility for overseeing the corporal, administration and budgets.

Paddock said being a corporal - described as a supervisor/investigator - has different responsibilities than a constable.

"It's kind of nice with the corporal position where you get a bit of both sides," he noted. "Where you do get to do the leadership side of things and work with your constables and try to help develop them, and then you still get that chance to get out and do the other part of the job that I really like doing - getting out and investigating."

Paddock noted a constable normally requires seven years of service before being able to apply to become a corporal.

Some constables stay at that rank their whole careers because they want to continue to work out in the community, he said. "It's really a personal choice if you want to promote or not."

For example, he noted there is a very experienced group of constables in Fort Smith with two having about 10 years of service and one with more than 20 years of service.

Paddock hopes to eventually move up to the rank of sergeant, which generally requires two years of experience as a corporal.

"It's really important to spend the time in the rank as corporal and to learn your job really well before a person were to go do that, but in the long term I would look to keep moving up, but I'm in no hurry right now to do that," he said.

As a police officer, Paddock said he enjoys moving around, meeting new people and having different experiences.

"I think the most gratifying part of being a police officer is when you can see some of the work that you've done, and how it's changed somebody's life or had a positive impact on somebody," he said.

Paddock said he has really enjoyed his first six months in Fort Smith, especially the town's recreational opportunities.

"It's a very friendly community here," the corporal added. "It was a good fit for me, for sure."

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