New Delta Police podcast features first responders sharing their struggles
Delta Police have come up with a new podcast — Bend Don’t Break — where first responders will share their stories and struggles while facing tough situations.
Over the course of their career, every first responder has to deal with some unimaginable calls for service. Sharing stories, and how they’ve faced a variety of extremely tough situations, is the impetus behind the podcast, says a news release.
The interviews of the first responders will be conducted by Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord. “These interviews are very honest, raw, and at times hard to listen to,” said Dubord. “My role in interviewing these officers, and other first responders, is to hear their stories and encour- age them to speak about what they may have learned or would do differently
“I also think there’s another take-away there — for leaders at all levels to be able to understand the perspective of someone going through a very tough situation.”
Dubord credits Const. Aaron Hill for proposing the podcast and sharing his own struggles on the first episode. It details how he faced a complaint alleging he’d used excessive force, which came at the same time he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
“So now I’m in the middle of a complaint, not sure if I’m going to have a job, and I have an auto immune deficiency disease and I’ve just lost my career aspirations of being a SWAT operator and I’m going to be going back to the road,” Hill says at the beginning of the first podcast.
In the second and third episodes Const. Jordan MacWilliams, a Delta police officer of the integrated emergency response team, shares the story of the police shooting in 2012 outside a casino in New Westminster and the impact it has on his emotional well being. The shooting later lead to an unexpected second-degree murder charge.
“For a few years now, we first responders have been talking rather openly about the importance of mental health and wellness,” said Dubord. “We thought it was time to take another step to shine a brighter light and give our officers, and other first responders, a way to share their stories in their own words.”
You can listen to the podcast on the Delta Police website.