Rod Stafford will work his final day as the deputy police chief for the Weyburn Police Service on Monday, Dec. 7, and as he retires he will be leaving with a sense of pride in the strong police department he has helped to build in his career here.
Stafford is ending a career in law enforcement that has spanned 35 and a half years, with the last 28 and a half years spent as a member of the Weyburn department.
He had always wanted to be a police officer, and made that dream a reality in 1985 when he joined the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, then known as the Saskatchewan Traffic Board, with whom he was stationed in Lloydminster and Regina.
“I can remember being a kid four or five years old, wanting to be a policeman,” he recalled. “In the early 80s, recruiting was very restrictive in all police services. It seemed at that time if you didn’t have a university degree, getting in was very difficult.”
Stafford went to university for a time and then was able to get on with the highway patrol until a position opened up in Churchbridge on the municipal police force in October of 1989. His opportunity to apply for a position in Weyburn arose in June of 1992, and he was accepted.
The Weyburn police force has provided a wide range of experiences and responsibilities for Stafford as he rose through the ranks, including a period of time when he was the liaison officer with the Weyburn Comprehensive School.
“It was the first time we made a concerted effort to go into the high school. I can recall sitting in the cafeteria having lunch, at first sitting alone, but pretty soon the table had a lot of kids sitting with me, and we’d talk about many things,” he said, noting the students were then able to put a name to the face when they saw him out and about on patrol.
“It was a really good experience,” he added, noting as he went on in his career, he’s always seen a lot of support in the department’s community involvement, and positive feedback in how the officers are seen in the community.
Other positive aspects of his career has included being a part of the hiring process in the last 12-13 years, and in helping develop the department’s use of technology in the last six years. Stafford pointed out that a hiring committee are the ones who make the hiring decisions, but he was happy to have been a part of that process, and then in helping to train up the young recruits as they’ve come on to the force.
He believes that it has been proven on many occasions the department has been hiring the highest quality of people possible, and can be seen in the careers of those officers as they have worked on the force.
“If I can claim a bit of pride, it’s having been an integral part in building those women and men in the department,” he said, adding he is also proud of the community involvement of the WPS.
“We’re not just making arrests and writing tickets, we’re trying to deal with community issues as best we can,” said Stafford.
While Weyburn is not the size of a major centre like Toronto where the police have access to such resources as social service workers, he noted that officers here sometimes need to make do as situations arise.
Asked if policing has changed very much in his 35-year career, he said, “The job we do hasn’t changed that much. Unfortunately we meet people on their worst day.”
Aspects of the job have changed as it relates to technology, and some of the methods of investigation have improved, but the aspect dealing with individuals has not changed very much.
The technology has greatly improved, as Stafford noted when he arrived in Weyburn in 1992, there was only one computer in the police office, used for jobs like checking on criminal records. As he leaves, the technology has advanced to where the first in-car computer will be installed in a Weyburn police vehicle, where they can be fully connected and online with all police databases.
“It should streamline operations a little bit, and take a little of the stress off staff,” he said, and will help the officer out on a scene to make sure nothing gets missed. “It’s a positive thing all around.”
The improved technology has improved the quality of investigations that are possible now, and Stafford pointed out there are arrests being made now around the world in relation to scams and frauds which are often perpetrated from foreign countries.
“It’s a double-edged sword. Every chief and police board is cognizant of the financial constraints, but not using technology is not an option if you’re going to provide the tools to do the job. The job of helping people, that’s not changed for decades,” he said.
Another change in recent years has been the increase in having a civilian oversight for police forces, an important development in ensuring police are transparent in the jobs they do.
“I think we’re doing extremely well in Saskatchewan,” Stafford added, something that is more apparent with the increased oversight of police operations.
“The RCMP have some unique aspects of enforcement that they’re responsible for, but in general we train together so our training is fairly consistent and extremely high quality,” he said.
Stafford also pointed out the Weyburn Police Service works together as a great team, with high-quality staff along with the officers on the street.
“It’s a team effort to make Weyburn as safe as it is, and it is safe,” he said.
As for plans after retirement, Stafford said he and his wife have two grandchildren with two more on the way soon, and he will now be able to spend time on his woodworking projects. His involvement with music will also continue, although that has been curtailed due to COVID right now.
“I’m proud of the department I’m leaving behind,” said Stafford. “When I walk out on the 7th, I will do so knowing I’ve done my part to make things better, and from everybody I’ve worked with and the community there has been incredible support. We have a fantastic city, and we do a very good job.”
