29 SENIOR ABUSE AWARENESS The mother called police dispatch. McCarron answered. “She said to me, ‘Tell me my baby is not dead’. I couldn’t tell her. That will haunt me forever,’’McCarron said, tearing up. The deputy chief said officers are mandated to talk about traumatic calls they attend, but the job brings a lot of posttraumatic stress disorder to deal with. “It’s what you see; it’s what you hear at calls that you remember,’’ she said. “You close your eyes at night, and it’s what you hear. It took me a long time to realize that’s what it was.’’ One big family McCarron, who is a graduate of the Atlantic Police Academy, doesn’t have much to say about the fact she is the first woman to hold the title of deputy chief. She thinks of the department as one big family, one where everyone has everyone’s back. “All I know is that all I’ve ever wanted was to be a police officer. I don’t know what it was. It was kind of a calling. It was a desire to help people,’’ said McCarron, who lives in Brackley Beach. “There were some guys (officers) that weren’t comfortable working with a female, but when they see you in action and you show you can take care of yourself, they’re fine.’’ Const. Tim Keizer said officers see McCarron as just another colleague. “I don’t look at her as the first woman to hold the position,’’ Keizer said. “I look at her as someone who has the respect of the police officers within this department. I’ve said that right from our operational review.’’ Tara Watts, a detective in the major crime unit, said she considers McCarron a mentor. “I started working here over 20 years ago, and she was my supervisor for a while,’’ Watts said. “She has always been a mentor for me. When I started here … there weren’t very many females around so to see her accomplishments through her career, and to see where she is now is impressive. She is a trailblazer for the rest of us.’’ Det. Diana Hatt, who is with the Fredericton Police Force in New Brunswick and is a daughter of former Charlottetown police Cpl. Gordie McConnell, said she became an officer because of McCarron. “I remember Jen working on some of Dad’s shifts and just how respectful she was,’’ Hatt said. “She just did it right. She was so respectful when I watched her, both professionally and personally.’’ McCarron, 55, doesn’t have visions of becoming the chief of police, explaining that she’s due to retire in two years. However, the police veteran hopes to help the department deal with some significant challenges before she leaves. “We’ve got homelessness in this city that needs to be addressed. Mental health is a big one. We’ve got a policing crisis where we only had 35 cadets through the academy this year. We have to figure out a way to recruit. Diversity is a huge challenge as are language barriers. Finding a translator at 3 a.m. is not easy. So, we’ve got some big challenges ahead of us. I hope to be part of the solution.’’ www.saltwire.com Charlottetown Police Services Deputy Chief Jennifer McCarron, left, and dispatcher Mark Cantwell monitor activity in the city on Aug. 5. - Dave Stewart/The Guardian Jennifer McCarron, deputy chief of Charlottetown Police Services, said Aug. 5 some of the toughest and most tragic calls she attended through her 27-year career helped shape her as a person. - Dave Stewart/The Guardian Charlottetown's new Deputy Police Chief drew strength from tragedy in her career (continued)
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