“….some of the best eight years of my life. I learnt a lot…I break a few bones and ended up under a few operating tables…,” EPS Constable Yannick Carter.
It was the Canadian Football League (CFL) group that grabbed the headline on the June 7, 2019, Edmonton Police Service (EPS) graduating Class #145. Well, you know what, as always, we will focus on the diversity and inclusion of the class, the story no one is telling.
It’s fair to say the two former CFL players turned EPS officers, complimented with the fact the EPS Chief Dale McFee is also a former CFL player, added a flair and glamour to this graduation.
After six months of intensive training, the event saw the graduation of 22 EPS officers that are posted to different Divisions in Edmonton – Downtown, West, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Northeast. Constable Jonathan Carter, Constable Joshua Hofer, Constable Devin Kerckhof, Constable Lacie Richard, and Constable Brittany Yakimec all were decorated with awards of excellence earned during the training program. Two times Grey Cup-winning Constable Yannick Carter who worked for ATB Financial after eight years in the CFL, left his banking job to take a new challenge with EPS and was selected by the graduating class as the valedictorian. Constable Carter told Diversity Magazine that he has always wanted to join law enforcement.
Another EPS graduate, Constable San Song of Chinese descent said he wants to make a difference in the community and joined the EPS after a presentation by EPS Recruitment Team on the difference the EPS makes in the community. Constable Mukul Chaudhary who immigrated from India just five years ago told Diversity Magazine that he joined the EPS as a way to show his gratitude to the community that has embraced and supported him. Former Edmonton Eskimos footballer Constable Elie Ngoyi of Congolese descent moved from BC to join the EPS directly after a career in CFL winning the Grey Cup in 2015 with the Edmonton Eskimos. Like the others, Constable Ngoyi joined the EPS to make a difference. He added that his passion and love for everything he does is his distinguishing factor.
The graduating class were addressed by the dignitaries present from the EPS, the Edmonton Police Commission, the City of Edmonton, the Government of Alberta, and were piped out by the Pipes and Drums of the Edmonton Police Service into the waiting arms of excited families and friends.
