Mohawk sergeant honoured for KRPF service

Sgt. Shawn McDonald, an officer with the Kativik Regional Police Force in Kuujjuaraapik, holds the 15-year service medal he recently received from the Sûreté du Québec provincial police force and the Association of First Nations chiefs of police of Quebec. (PHOTO COURTESY OF S.MCDONALD)

It’s not easy to be a police officer.

Just ask Shawn McDonald, a sergeant with the Kativik Regional Police Force in Kuujjuaraapik.

But sometimes you get a much-appreciated gesture of recognition from your peers.

McDonald, 39, a Mohawk from Kanestake, Quebec, recently received an award recognizing his 19 years as a native cop— a 15-year service medal from the Sûreté du Québec provincial police force and the Association of First Nations chiefs of police of Quebec.

“I was proud. This meant a lot to me because it’s a very hard job. People have to have the mettle to put up with it because it’s a high-stress job,” McDonald said.

McDonald was the only member of the KRPF to be recognized with such a service award in 2009.

McDonald started his career with the Canadian Forces’ military police and then went on to work in Kanesatake and at the Barrier Lake native police force before joining the KRPF five years ago.

McDonald said there have been many changes since he started policing.

Most are for the better, McDonald said, mentioning the continual training and upgrading that he and others on the KRPF now receive in such areas as emergency techniques, search and rescue, special weapons and tactics, and firearms use.

But one thing about policing has remained the same, McDonald said.

That’s the need to be 100-per cent committed to the job, he said.

“I love helping people out, even in a criminal incident,” McDonald said. “A lot of people forget we’re part of the community.”

Being a good member of a police force means you have to feel part of the community you work in, he said.

“If you feel you’re there just for the pay, you should leave,” McDonald said.

Since starting with the KRPF, McDonald has worked in Salluit, Kangiqsujuaq, Kangiqsualujjuaq and Quaqtaq, where he met his common-law wife, Susie Arnatuk.

When he’s on the job, McDonald is often asked if he’s an Inuk.

While he may not be an Inuk, McDonald said being an indigenous person himself gives him some insight into the Inuit communities.

“Our basic principles as aboriginals are about the same,” McDonald said. “I’m proud to have served my [aboriginal] brothers and sisters for so many years.”

In 2010, McDonald may receive another medal, this time in recognition of 20 years of service to native police.