Lots of great things are happening in the Stoney Nakoda First Nations community.

Tomorrow (August 29) you are invited to attend the grand opening of the Community Policing Office in Morley at the old Chiniki Storefront.

Constable Jennifer Brewer, Community Tripartite Agreement Member with the Cochrane RCMP detachment is looking forward to continuing her role of bridging the gap between policing and individuals living in the nation. "There will be lots of public relations. I, myself, will be able to use the office out there to have meetings with our partners like Turning Point, Stoney Nakoda Family and Children Services, as well as meeting with any community members that may need my help with anything."

Having a brick and mortar location in Morley will not only give members a place to do paperwork and host meetings but shows the community at large that the RCMP are dedicated when it comes to changing the perception of policing on the nation. Constable Brewer and other members have worked hard over the past years few to build positive relationships with the Indigenous community and really showcase how a policing response isn't always about being reactive. "We are noticing a lot more positive feedback about us being in the community, being able to be seen, and taking part and understanding the culture more. While we don't have a quantitative or qualitative measure to base that off of, we do have a lot of people coming up and commenting that they see us a lot more and that we are a presence at many community events now. We notice residents are warming up to us, accepting us in the community and recognizing that we aren't just a fly by night solution."

The Community Policing Office will be open to all members of the detachment, as well as members of Cochrane and Area Victim Services which could help reduce response time in some cases depending on what they are responding too. "We definitely want to grow the positive relationship that we are building and continuing the work on reconciliation. We want to have more information sessions there not just about explaining how our role works or what goes into an investigation but also having the community teach us about their culture. We are really hoping to build sessions, not just policing, but cultural ones too."

With the Stoney First Nations falling under the jurisdiction of the Cochrane RCMP detachment building a relationship between residents of Cochrane with those living on the First Nations land is important for both communities. "When we fill that gap we are able to expand that into both communities. When we show up at community events in Cochrane and there are Nation members there, they recognize our members on a good, positive term. There are a lot of Nation members that really enjoy the sharing of their culture and if we can help bridge that gap with the Cochrane community too, it is definitely a win."

Tomorrow's celebration is open to all and kicks off at 11 a.m. with a traditional pipe ceremony, followed by speeches from dignitaries, RCMP Commanders, a meet and greet with detachment members and their valued partners, as well as a barbeque lunch.

The new office will house the new Indigenous Outreach/Program Coordinator for Cochrane and Area Victim Services, Daphne Hollins, as well as designated RCMP members Constable Jennifer Brewer and Constable Cardoso for the Community Tripartite Agreement (CTA) within the community. Although the office will not have set office hours to start when the CTA members or Victim Services are on-site, the gate will be open and community members are welcome.