Cst. Johannah Audet started with the Estevan Police Service in the spring of 1988 as a night shift dispatcher, a position she would perform for about a year and a half. She was then approached to see if she would be interested in becoming a police officer. She accepted the challenge and entered the Saskatchewan Police College in January of 1990. Upon her graduation, at 20 years of age, Audet became Estevan’s first female police officer. Audet had performed a number of different roles throughout her career. For the past four years, she had been in the Serious Crime Unit in a plain clothes capacity. Audet was also active in the Estevan Police Association, holding several positions on the executive and participating in collective bargaining negotiations. Audet has said she is proud of her record and the fact that she was Estevan’s lone policewoman for about 18 years. In the last seven years, three more female police officers have been hired by the Estevan Police Service. When asked whether or not she encountered gender discrimination, harassment, or even apprehension from the male police officers, Audet shakes her head firmly. “None at all, never. When I first started, they all knew me as a dispatcher and felt I could do it. Nothing stands out to me as being a gender issue. Audet went on to say, “I learned early on that there is one career-ending thing in this business. If you ever hear a cop say ‘this is not in my job description’ you know they’re on their way out because we don’t have a job description. You’re never too good to do what all the rest of them have done. We are police…and the duties are obvious to us. Sometimes we have to be guidance counselors, sometimes babysitters, sometimes dog catchers, and sometimes just coffee makers, but the thing is, we all do all of that.” Audet was born and raised in Estevan and plans on staying in Estevan for her semi-retirement journey. She has secured part-time employment and plans on spending many hours working around her house and yard. After 25 years of service, Cst. Johannah Audet retired on April 30, 2013. Her absence is already felt by her co-workers and friends. Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 9 Estevan Police Service’s First Female Officer Retires Left to right: Chief Del Block, Cst. Johannah Audet, Cst. Jay Pierson (President of Estevan Police Association)
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