Rivers Police Department: A Brief History

Related Collection: Virtual Manitoba (Miscellaneous)

Policing in Rivers over the last 85 years has evolved in the same manner as many small Prairie Towns. There has been a blend of Municipal Constables, Manitoba ProvinciaI Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

However, the one unique feature has been maintaining its municipal police since before the town’s incorporation in 1913 to present day.

The need for police was at the forefront in a 1908 meeting as village founders recorded on their agenda a discussion on police protection. The village early Constables appear to have been a mix of fall and part time members. As early as 1909 Constable Howard was requesting Village Council to provide a “regular lock-up. Records show various crimes occurring in Rivers, Robberies, Thefts, Assaults during a time in which a “Frontier Mentality” prevailed.

By 1911, the organized village council was making local statutes to control such things as order, morality, and animal control. Also during this time, the village, which contained by now a large Railway Yard complete with roundhouse, was in the middle of a violent labour strike. As a result the village had a double shooting at the local hotel, and during another incident charges were laid on a Railroad Detective for assaulting a local Special Constable.

During the teen years, crime continued, and new problems arose with the appearance of the first automobiles. By-laws were passed by Council regarding the licensing and control of automobiles with town limits. By 1917, the town had recorded its first automobile theft. It was also during this time that Council began to strongly question paying the fee of $1000.00 per year for police protection when only $31.50 in fines were collected.

In the 1920’s several Constables came and went. Speed limits of 10 mph were established and Council records show that two “silent policemen” were purchased.

In the early 1930’s, Rivers still maintained a Constable. Numerous requests by Rivers Council are recorded requesting additional assistance from the Provincial Police, and later from the RCMP, for problems such as rowdiness on Halloween and minors driving in town. It would appear that between 1931 and 1938 Rivers was without a regular Constable, this being attributed to the lack of funds during the depression years.

In 1938 Council passed a resolution to look for a retired RCMP officer to police the town. It was during this period that Harold TYERMAN was appointed as Constable, given permission to carry a gun, and is believed to be the first uniformed Constable to provide policing to the town.

During tile 1940’s Town Council continued to look for an ex-RCMP officer and repeatedly approached the Province about an RCMP Detachment.

This was a period when the British Commonwealth Air Training plan had located an airbase just south-west of Rivers. This brought 2,200 officers and men to Rivers from around the Commonwealth, during World War II. The Airbase continued to operate until the early 1970’s, when it was taken over by the Department of Indian Affairs who used the facility for a ten year period as a work training centre that closed in the early 1980’s. The Base was staffed with its own compliment of Air Force Police, Provost Corps, and later OO-ZA-WE-KWUN Police, during it’s time as a native training centre. However, Rivers was their playground.

1951 was the beginning of modem/professional policing in Rivers. C. Calcraft, an ex-RCMP member with 20 years service, was hired as Chief Constable and remained with the town until late in 1955. Following Chief Constable Calcraft’s resignation, the town was policed for a short period of time on a contract basis by Constables from Dominion Patrol Service. By the spring of 1956, the town was being policed again by its own constables.

On March 27, 1961 Chief Constable Walter Chernos a local man was hired by the town over 60 applicants from coast to coast. Chief CHERNOS would become the longest serving member of the Rivers Police Department with 31+ years of service to the town upon his retirement on July 31, 1992. Chief Chernos was also the recipient of the Canadian Police Exemplary Service Medal. It is interesting to note that in 1962, the town of Rivers ratepayers association approached Council “wanting a relief police officer for Constable Chernos (who had been on 24 hr. call for 2 years)”. But, it would be years before this request would be seriously considered and another Constable added. At this time the town of Rivers had a population of 1700 people and the Airbase had approximately 2,000.

Finally in 1979, the town hired a second Constable to assist in policing. By 1994, a 3rd part-time constable was added to the staff, increasing the authorized compliment to a Chief, two Constables, and two Auxiliary Constables.

By 1950, the Rivers Police Uniform consisted of a dark blue forage cap, dark blue tunic, dark blue pants, with light blue shirt. This basic uniform was retained into the 1980’s, with the exception of a brief period in time in the 1960’s when a tan summer uniform was worn. In the 1980’s, a red stripe was added to the forage cap and pants. The current Rivers Police Uniform retains the dark blue pants and cap with the red stripe, a navy blue shirt is worn by all members from Chief
to Auxiliary.

It is hard to imagine that until 1979 Rivers Police members were expected to provide their own cars for patrol use. In 1979, a market Ford Granada was purchased by the town for Police use.

It was dark navy blue with a door decal (reflecting the hat badge of the day) with a light bar (cherries) on top. The light bar was hooked to a quick disconnect coupler and the decals were magnetic so the car could quickly be converted to
an unmarked unit. Presently, Rivers Police are authorized a fully equipped marked Crown Victoria, white with unique graphics, and an unmarked Crown Victoria.

Early communication was accomplished by persons calling the Constable’s house and a “window blind down or up” method was used for the Constable to know if he had a call waiting with his wife. This was replaced with a CB radio, and eventually a police band FM 2 way radio that included a base station (still at the Constable’s house), a mobile unit in the car and a portable. Communications remained this way until a new radio system was purchased by the town and an auto-patch system from the phone to the radio was unsuccessfully tried.

Currently Rivers Police utilizes an up to date Motorola scanning radio system, which includes a base at the town office, mobile unit, and portables for all members. Police are able to monitor all area agencies including Fire, Ambulance, EMO, etc. A cellular phone is used to directly receive complaints and make phone calls while a member is on duty. E 911 Service was adopted for the town in February of 1998 and funding for fleet net radios have been approved for this purpose and to maintain communications with RCMP. Rivers PD also has its own CPIC terminal linking them coast-to-coast with other police agencies and an in-house computer system for records management and word processing.

The insignia of the Rivers Police Department has changed over the years. There is no record of what the first Constables used for identification. The first known early badges were simply a wreath with the world “Police” attached by bars in the centre, and shoulder insignia of the time were matching Police bars worn on the epaulet. By 1950 Rivers PD had adopted the Canadina general issue police cap badge, which consisted of a large Maple Leaf with a king’s crown drawn over a beaver in the centre. Our first known shield shaped cloth shoulder patch reflects this design. A variety of bent bar type shoulder patches were used from the 1960’s to 1980’s, along with a stamped stock die cap badge. In the late 1980’s a regional design cloth shoulder patch was adopted. It contained the stock die cap badge insignia in the centre. In 1992 new regional shaped patches were designed along with custom tie, cap and wallet badges which utilized the town of Rivers Seal. These are worn by all members, gold patches and badges being issued to the Chief and Constables, and silver patches and badges being issues to the Auxiliary Constables.