Editor's note: Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Cpl. Todd Bowden is retiring after nearly three decades of service. His career started in Fort St. James in 1997 a month after Morning Star reporter Roger Knox began his newspaper career in the Fort, and Bowden was one of the first people he interviewed. The pair have worked in the same town again for nearly 20 years, and they met up again to chat one more time. There's no word yet on when Knox will be retiring. But his interviews have gotten better over 28 years.
RK: One of your first, er, ‘duties,’ with the Fort RCMP was to sit down with the reporter at the Caledonia Courier for a Welcome to Fort. St. James interview/story. I stayed in the Fort/Vanderhoof for three years. How long were you there?
TB: I fondly remember cutting my teeth in Fort St. James as a brand new Mountie and still picture us sitting down with you for that very welcoming interview which helped get off on the right foot in that community. Your positivity and social skills were already well developed, which I saw serve "The Fort" very well. I see our communication styles as very similar and have tried to sustain that approach over my last 28 years.
RK: Likewise. I learned so much in my three years there, things that I have carried with me throughout my career. What are your memories of serving that area?
TB: I fondly recall the almost daily adventures of policing within the Fort St. James detachment. At that time, we were responsible for approximately 30,000 square kilometres of BC, with the furthest community we were responsible for being an eight-hour drive on varying qualities of roads one-way from the detachment. Most of our detachment area lacked coverage by our police radios so attentive risk assessments and use of community partners and tactical communications spared us from many (though not all) risky situations we'd find ourselves thrust into. The detachment had an atypical robust fleet of adventure vehicles, which I made good use of where I could. Those included five 4x4 trucks, a camper, ATVs, snowmobiles, a Zodiac boat and a beefy jet boat we affectionately referred to as "The Persephone" (i.e."Beachcombers" show). I keep in touch with numerous friends made over my cherished time in FSJ and have enjoyed occasions to work with some of my fellow FSJ Mounties in other locations since.
RK: I nearly lost my Toyota Corolla in a pothole driving to one of the areas outside the town. Where did you go next?
TB: I would transfer out of Fort St. James just over two years later, having within that time met and was blessed to marry a sharp(er) young Mountie who happened to be in my own brother's RCMP recruit troop who graduated five months after I did and was assigned Vernon as her first posting.
RK: You’re still married to that Mountie. Can you tell us what it’s like to have a marriage with two people in the same job? How did you guys make it work?
TB: Yes indeed, Tania and I remain happily married, though I definitely came out further ahead than her in that transaction. We have taken turns following each other to a few different postings over a handful of years in the middle of our careers, ultimately navigating our way through the RCMP HR system back to the North Okanagan.
RK: Do you plan to make the North Okanagan your retirement home?
TB: We do indeed. Both Tania and I have bounced around our share of different hometowns (15+ each) through our entire lives, but yes, this is our forever home now. From honeymooning in Ashton Creek to raising two kind, hard working kids - Taylor and Travis – and loving our social circles and employment here, yeah....this is home.
RK: Back to that first interview, where I learned you were a trampoline, tumbling, and gymnastics coach. Now, I understand you’ve, er, ‘taken off’ with a new hobby/job: helicopters. How’d that come about?
TB: Well, back in 1991, I had opportunity to ride aboard an RCMP helicopter and frankly caught that bug then and there. Fast forward to 2002 as Tania and I were stargazing when a helicopter passed overhead. I commented on it, prompting Tania to say, "Honey, you still want to fly. Let's find a way if you can see a realistic hope of getting work in the industry that RCMP would approve for you and is somewhat local." I jumped through that generously opened window and two years later was licensed and flying a weekly aerial pipeline patrol through the Okanagan once a week. That got my feet wet and now in my full-time RCMP retirement I have found seasonal work for a different helicopter company here as well. I have observed a distinct similarity of personality types between police officers and helicopter pilots. We both have a strong sense of adventure and personal challenge, remain sharply focused, accepting of deadly risk and pass a pile of tests to become and to stay in the industry. Oh, and our senses of humour are perfectly aligned.
RK: Is there one case or arrest or memory that stands out in your career?
TB: There were many vivid cases that I would be called to over the years. Without getting into the visuals, it occurred to me several years ago that the incidents involving emotional trauma, physical injury, and/or death of young people imprinted the most on me. Sometimes we are able to substantially help at these calls, sometimes a little and sometimes helplessly not at all. Obviously the latter are the toughest on everyone involved, including us first responders. Being one of four members to come upon the scene of the murder of a woman and her two beautiful young daughters definitely tested our faith and emotional coping skills. We honoured those lost souls with some top notch police work that resulted in a triple guilty plea. Beyond those scenarios, locally losing acquaintance Auxiliary Constable Glen Evely and friend Constable Jean Minguy within a few months in the line of duty at the Vernon detachment hit very close to home, but it has been uplifting to see both high quality citizens so well honoured by the Vernon community.
RK: What’s one thing you truly enjoyed about your job?
TB: I really enjoyed getting in the way in varying manners of harm destined for or befalling innocent people. Be that interdicting a hazardous driver to curb their risky behaviour, educating unsuspecting fraud victims or stopping a 3 a.m. home invader, the victories in this job are tough to beat.
RK: Any idea how many people you worked with, or how many you may have trained in your career?
TB: Combining the constantly rotating personnel at the 10 detachments/units I have been assigned to with event specific deployments, I would roughly guess at between two and three thousand RCMP members and employees. Among those were two people I just struggled to get along with. That can stay on me, but not a bad ratio. On that note, having worked in numerous fields including gas jockey, rink rat, farm hand, welder, gymnastics coaching and in aviation, I retain this personal sense of being an outsider who was granted an inside look at the uniquely big corporate law enforcement machine known as the RCMP. From my 28-year peek under the hood, I can report back to my fellow Canadians that you would be consistently assured by the thought processes, discussions and decision making of most every Mountie you would encounter. The idea of a contemporary Canadian police officer getting away with "rogue" conduct amid his or her onlooking colleagues is effectively unheard of. We daily work so hard at meeting our individual elevated personal and professional standards that questionable peer behaviour is promptly questioned as much as anything out of upholding our own individual reputation as sharing that same uniform.
RK: How much did your job change over 28 years?
TB: The increase in "mental illness" has taken its toll on the public and flowing from that, us frontline public servants over my service. I see lots of room for societal improvement in the complex field of mental health, which could ultimately unburden frontline services substantially. Aside from that, I recognize the topic of the paramount Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as unexpectedly seeing a sharp increase in public dialogue. Stemming from my 1996 basic training on application of "The Charter" at RCMP Depot Division, I follow this phenomenon with great interest and feel it is an important resource that strengthens this great country.
RK: My job has changed a lot, too. We corresponded for this interview by email, something we could not have done 28 years ago without a dial up Internet connection and about eight hours to kill waiting for the replies. LOL. How do you feel about newspaper reporters NOW?
TB: The distinct buzzing and ringing sounds of attaining a dial-up internet connection at the beginning of my career are imprinted long-term in my head. I embrace most technology advancements and love that we can efficiently communicate like this. It allows me to reword my answers as I go and simultaneously catch up on my daily podcasts in the background without appearing rude to you my gracious interviewer! I will also add that I have developed an increased respect for local media contacts such as yourself. I have greatly appreciated local media reporting of news involving our work. I suppose that this might be the result of having fewer layers to run the story through but that's just a guess of mine.
RK: In all seriousness, you and your wife have always made yourselves available, and been a huge help to me over my career. That's one of the great things working in small communities. You get to know pretty much everybody. It’s neat how our careers intertwined geographically over that time. I wish you nothing but the best, Todd. Thank you for serving the communities so well. Enjoy retirement, and stay safe out there!
TB: You too Roger. It has been a special perk of Tania and my careers to enjoy your professional partnership and friendship. Aren't we fortunate to live in such a wonderful area amid friends?
