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Sheriff work offers plenty of variety
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
A desire to be involved in keeping the peace led Rob Crawley to employment with the Alberta Sheriffs Department.
“Anything law enforcement-related was the route that I was taking,” said Crawley.
The two most attractive aspects of the job, he said, are the fact that no two days are alike and the fact he’s helping people.
Crawley does a lot of travelling, transporting prisoners to court and then sitting in the courtroom to keep an eye on people.
“We usually have two people at a time working together, for safety reasons,” Crawley pointed out. The four sheriffs based in High Prairie also cover Slave Lake, Peace River and Wabasca/Desmarais.
Sheriffs look after all the province’s courtrooms, often being based in a place for at least two years. Crawley, who is in High Prairie, has been a sheriff since February of last year.
Other sheriff units include traffic, Safe Communities and Neighbourhoods, intelligence and warrant/apprehension.
Crawley said there are various misconceptions about sheriffs. While they do have powers of arrest, their authority comes under the Peace Officer Act and Section 495 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which sets out the authority for a peace officer to arrest without warrant.
“We do a job that, as far as I know, the RCMP originally did,” said Crawley.
Another misconception is that sheriffs do the same job in Canada as they do in the United States.
There, said Crawley, sheriffs start in courtrooms and prisons and then move on to become police officers, while here, they stay in those environments.
“People get the idea that we’re like the U.S. Sheriffs, but it’s very different.”
Crawley said there is one obvious challenge to the job.
“You’re dealing with a criminal element every day … A lot of them can be hardened criminals, so you constantly have your guard up.”
However, he said, the reward comes in developing a rapport with prisoners, which often helps avoid a physical confrontation.
“You get a bit of a lingo and you can speak to them on their level.”
This is important, since the prisoner could be uptight about his or her court appearance. Those who have previously been through the court system know the procedures best.
“They know the routine and they’re a lot easier to deal with,” said Crawley.
“I try not to look at what they’re accused of – I try to look at them as a person. That’s what most people want – a sign of respect. You can’t go in there and treat them like a piece of meat.”
There can be some long days in the job.
“For example, the days we go to Desmarais, we leave High Prairie at 6 a.m. and we’ll get to Desmarais around 9:30.” After court, and transferring the prisoner back to the institution, Crawley may not get back to High Prairie until 10:30 p.m. or so.
He said if there are not two sheriffs to do such an operation, one from Peace River will help out.
Closed circuit television (CCTV), in which accused people appear in front of a judge via video, has made a difference in sheriffs’ busy jobs.
“When I started, there were eight or nine prisoners in cells. When CCTV came in, it was down to two or three,” said Crawley.
“It lightens our workloads and helps the court system move along more quickly, too.”
Speaking of the court system, Crawley has praise for those presiding over it.
“The judges I’ve dealt with are really good, and they’re fair, too.”
To become a sheriff, Crawley – like other potential recruits – had to undergo the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation test, an endurance test which involves a lot of running.
“It’s designed to get your heart rate to the maximum (and) to mirror you chasing a suspect and catching him.”
Those who pass PARE can submit an application and, upon being accepted, go through a 10-week training program in Edmonton.
While the move to northern Alberta took some adjustment, Crawley has no regrets about doing it.
“Since I’ve been there, I’ve done things I wouldn’t have done in the city,” he said.
“I’ve gone quadding. I’ve gone to a traditional Native feast and pow wow.”
In looking to the future, Crawley said he is willing to stay in High Prairie.
“I like the experience, jobwise and lifewise.”
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Crawley shows the handcuffs he uses in his job. Sheriffs have such authority under the Peace Officer Act and Section 495 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
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