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Policing runs deep in Block family

When Chief Del Block retires from the Estevan Police Service in March, he will close the chapter on a distinguished career that has spanned over 30 years. But the book, as it pertains to the Block family and policing, is far from closed.
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When Chief Del Block retires from the Estevan Police Service in March, he will close the chapter on a distinguished career that has spanned over 30 years.

But the book, as it pertains to the Block family and policing, is far from closed.

The father of three daughters along with his wife Carol, Block has watched with pride as two of them have followed his footsteps into policing. His oldest daughter Kassie has been a member of the Saskatoon Police Service for the past few years while his youngest, Kyra, was recently hired by the Regina Police Service and is currently attending the Saskatchewan Police College in the Queen City.

Block said he is proud and excited to have two of his daughters follow his footsteps and become police officers.

"I'm proud of all three of my daughters, (Kalita) is a nurse and two are police officers, so to have two actually follow your career, it's a good feeling," Block said.

Although working as a police officer can be a very rewarding career, there are also the negative aspects of the career, such as being in harm's way and exposure to some of the more unpleasant aspects of human nature.

Block has undoubtedly seen plenty of good and bad in his career, but said he wasn't at all hesitant when his daughters told him and his wife of their plans.

"There was no hesitation. In fact, if anything, I encouraged them," he said. "Police officers that come out of the Saskatchewan Police College are so much better trained than when I came through. When I took the college it was still in the evolution process - I was in class five - so they were still building programs. They did a good job of training but compared to today they are so much better trained.

"Instead of lecture-based training, it is scenario-based training and they are given the tools to do the jobs adequately and the communication skills as well to (work) with people. There are thousands of encounters with the public in the province everyday. About 99 per cent of them or higher are positive.

"I had no hesitation whatsoever. It's a good career; if you are interested and dedicated, it will treat you very well."

Block said Kyra had long expressed an interest in policing, while Kassie came to the profession a little bit later as she had previously been working as a spiritual care provider at St. Joseph's Hospital.

"(Kassie) is still in a job where she is helping people. Actually all three of them are in jobs where they are helping people, and it is nice to be there for the community and be a part of helping your community," Block said.

Asked what drew her to a career in policing aside from the obvious family connections, Kassie admitted she didn't have a "textbook answer" but felt it was something she would find interesting.

"I'm not meant to sit behind a desk," she said with a laugh.

Kassie initially had thoughts of joining the RCMP and went as far as applying. She also put her name in with both the Saskatoon and Regina Police Services and eventually chose the Bridge City. Kassie was hired in December of 2009 and worked for a year as a Special Constable before attending the police college in 2011.

Once she became a constable, Kassie worked on a regular patrol. She said that job allowed her to be directly involved with and help the public while providing no shortage of variety from shift to shift.

"On one shift we went to a car accident to a murder to a shoplifter to an assault," she said. "No two days are the same."

Kassie recently joined the SPS traffic unit and said she is enjoying the switch.

Growing up as the daughter of a police officer, Kassie was obviously exposed to the ins and outs of the job. However, she said her memories were all positive, something she attributes to her father.

"I have honestly never heard him complain about the job once. Now, working in it, it is actually pretty impressive," Kassie said.

"He was just always very excited and very passionate about it, and for me, I want to be passionate about whatever I do. He still loves it and he's in his 38th year for crying out loud. That is the job he was born to do."

Kyra said the passion her father has for policing was also very evident to her and played a big role in her career decision.

"Growing up, Dad was a huge role model. He's always loved his job and was always talking about it. He takes his job back home but not in a negative way, he never wants to distance himself and loves his job that much," Kyra said.

"If you don't hate going into work and love your job, I don't think there is anything better than that."

Kyra said it was in high school when she made the ultimate decision that a career in policing was ahead of her. After graduation from the Estevan Comprehensive School, she attended university in Casper, Wyo. and Great Falls, Mon. on a rodeo scholarship and earned her bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

After she was officially sworn in on Jan. 10 - which also happened to be her dad's birthday - Kyra began attending the college in Regina. Although she's only been there a short time Kyra said it's obvious she has a challenge in front of her.

"We have very long days and a lot of physical tests we have to pass," she said. "We have to run 10 miles a week, at least and put in three hours in the gym. We have fitness classes on top of that and criminal law class. We have firearms and many public speakers come in."

Provided everything goes as planned over her 20 weeks at the college, Kyra will begin work with the RPS later this year and is excited to get her start in the Queen City.

"I've always loved Regina. I've always loved the size of it; it's not too big, it's not a Calgary. I can't wait to get out on the streets and follow in my Dad's footsteps and my sister's as well."