Aspiring police officer is Chief for a Day

Olivia being sworn in as Chief for a Day with Chief Paul Martin.

A focused, young leader from a Whitby school wants to help keep her community safe. 

On October 23, Grade 5 student Olivia Baker was sworn in to be Chief for a Day with the Durham Regional Police Services.

Olivia having fun while sitting in Air1, DRPS’s helicopter.

Every year the DRPS selects a Grade 5 student to be Chief for a Day. To “apply” for this prestigious position, each student must write an essay outlining why they should be chosen. Chief Paul Martin and some of his colleagues came to Olivia’s school, CE Broughton PS, to make the formal announcement in front of her peers, teachers and family. She was taken to the department to be fitted for her uniform which she now gets to keep, after wearing it throughout the day as Chief. Olivia was prepared for her special day and was looking forward to the experience.

Olivia said, “It feels awesome because I know I’ll be here again one day.” She added that she was also very excited to learn about the cool things that police officers and chiefs do while on the job.

Chief Martin said that every year, this day is one of his favourites because he gets to interact with the young up-and-coming leaders in the community.

“It’s one of the highlights, because we do so much with our youth and we want to encourage our youth to be ambassadors within our community and take a leadership role,” Chief Martin said.  “It really is encouraging to see the leadership we have at such a young age within our community. It makes you think that we have a great future ahead of us.”

Olivia and her parents Heidi and Jeff Baker after the Chief for a Day presentation at CE Broughton PS.

Proud parents

It is not only a special day for Olivia, but also for her parents Jeff and Heidi Baker. They were brimming with pride and excitement for her.

“We are very proud. This is something she wanted to do and she went after it,” shares Jeff Baker. “We are really excited for her.”

Heidi Baker says Olivia has been waiting for this day to come since the announcement was made. They support her all the way.

“Obviously, the pride comes through as a mother,” says Heidi. “She is so very confident. She is very relaxed and chill about it – she’s ready.”

During her day as Chief, Olivia toured the traffic services, communications/911, and forensic identification departments, in addition to seeing a use of force demonstration and sat in Air1, (DRPS’s helicopter). She also attended and spoke at the Annual Police Appreciation Dinner and Awards Night on October 25th.

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