Const. Andrew Conrad has experienced the thrill of hurtling down a frozen track at breakneck speed with some of the best athletes in the world.
It's that experience training with the Canadian Bobsleigh Team, plus his years as a track and field athlete, that Conrad says gave him the confidence and skills to be a police officer.
"You have to learn quickly," he said, adding that his experience as an athlete and later as a track coach taught him how to deal with people and become a more organized person.
"I would recommend to anyone that they get involved in sports," he said.
Conrad is the Community Response Officer, or CRO, for a large diverse area ranging from densely populated Spryfield to the rural communities of the Sambro loop.
Being athletically inclined may help Conrad get around his territory, but it's also given him the discipline to approach community issues to work with residents on what affects them. Right now he's focused on the important issue of school bus safety, something that he sees every day.
"It's a huge problem out here. I've seen kids jump out of the way of cars and almost get hit because the cars just aren't stopping for school buses," he said.
In a recent two-week stretch, Conrad wrote at least one ticket a day to vehicles who failed to stop for the flashing red lights of a school bus.
Like a workout regime that involves using different muscle groups, Conrad is able to switch gears when he's working in the rural part of the area to another local concern.
In parts of Sambro, frequent complaints of noisy all-terrain vehicles and riders ignoring "NO ATV" signs prompted two recent weekend operations to catch illegal riders. During one of the operations, Conrad saw two riders destroy a Department of Natural Resources sign warning ATVs away from a wilderness area. Those riders were fined, but Conrad is eager to educate people about safe and responsible ATV driving.
"We want it to be fun, but there are rules," he said.
