ESTEVAN — The two newest members of the Estevan Police Service have enjoyed their experience since graduating from the Saskatchewan Police College.
Const. Josie Palmer and Const. Colin Sutter have been part of patrol units since their first respective days. In addition to spending time on their beats, they have been taking additional training.
Palmer said she wanted to be part of the EPS so she could serve and be part of the community.
“I’m not from here, but [I appreciate] being out, just providing for the community, being there for support and being there just to help out in the community as much as possible,” she said.
Palmer might be new as a constable, but she has a wealth of experience with the EPS. She previously served as a special constable, first in dispatch from 2014-2017 and then as the bylaw enforcement officer from 2017-2025. Those experiences helped prepare her for becoming a constable.
“Just dealing with people on a daily basis,” she said. “Seeing them in upset times. Some issues are pretty important to people, and it’s just good to be out on the street and talking to people and helping them in any way I can.”
Her tenure has been busy so far, as she learns about being an officer through training and patrol work.
Sutter noted he grew up in Estevan and he considers Estevan his home. His family has a long history with the EPS, too. His mother Shari worked in dispatch for the EPS, while his grandfather Doug Wood was an officer until his retirement in 1998.
“I’ve always liked the idea of being a police officer. It seems like a way to help people. I gained the liking of being able to help [people] when I was a lifeguard here in Estevan, and it never went away. It [being a police officer] was a dream of mine since I was 10 or 11,” said Sutter.
He said he talked to his mother a lot about what to expect before he joined the EPS, and he added she was excited for him. When his grandfather was still alive, Sutter said he had lots of questions for Wood about being a police officer. Sutter also spoke with other people in the community about the job.
When he was a deputy sheriff at the Estevan Court House, Sutter also spoke with current EPS Const. Craig Bird about Bird’s tenure.
Sutter said he has enjoyed the experience with the EPS.
“There has been a lot of new experiences … a lot of calls, which is what I was hoping for, because I want to learn how to do everything. The training officers that I’ve had so far are very, very knowledgeable.”
Mental health is of keen interest for Sutter, so the police and crisis team is something he might look at in the future. The school resource role is another area that is of interest for him.
Both said they had really good experiences at police college. It was a lot of work but they learned a lot to get them ready for a career in policing.
