City police welcome four more to the family

Four new officers were welcomed to the police family today during their swearing in ceremony at the North Bay Police Service building on Princess Street.

Curtis Smith, Ashley St. John, Robin Boucher and Steve Chabbert have experienced an exhaustive hiring process in order to walk the thin blue line and are thrilled to be doing it in the Bay.

“There was a bit of a wait time … I applied in the spring time and there was about a 6 month gap,” explains Constable Curtis Smith.

Smith also says growing up in North Bay he always wanted to be a cop and the Bay was his number one choice when it came to a city to have a career in.

“This is something I always wanted to, it’s a childhood dream,” he says.

“It’s an honour.”

His sentiments were echoed by former North Bay Centennial Constable Steve Chabbert.

“Being a police officer was one of those things on your list as a kid,” he explains.

“But I became more serious about policing when I was in Guelph with the Storm. My billet was in the service and I used to go on ride alongs.”
Chabbert who has been in Southern Ontario for a while now says coming to the Bay for his career is a great thing.

“This is an ideal situation for me and my family,” he says.

“My familiarity with the community is an asset.”

Police Chief Paul Cook told the new officers that integrity was the cornerstone of policing and told the officers to be courteous and professional at all times and reminded them to treat others as they would like to be treated.