THUNDER BAY – One of Mike Nordal’s dreams has now come true.
Born and raised in Thunder Bay, the 28-year-old was officially sworn in Thursday afternoon as one of the three newest constables in the Thunder Bay Police Service.
“It’s the fact I get to help people. I can make a difference. It may not be something big drastic thing, but just the small things I can do every day to help put a smile on their face,” he said. “People call us on their bad days and I want to be able to make that day a little better, hopefully we can get past it together and work with our community.”
Nordal was joined by Jeremy Riabov and Derek How as being officially welcomed as newest members of the force, as they received their badges and swore their oaths to discharge their duties in front of Justice Joyce Pelletier, who presided over the ceremony at the Thunder Bay Courthouse.
For Nordal, becoming a police officer was a two-year journey that just reaffirmed his desire to dedicate his life to serving the public.
“I knew this is the career for me and this is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life,” he said. “It was a hard road. You have to really want this and really work for it to be here.”
Riabov spent three years pursuing a policing career and said being sworn in was one of the biggest accomplishments of his life, next to meeting and marrying his wife.
“This was a life goal of mine and I have my family to thank,” Riabov said. “It took me a long time to get here and it feels overwhelming now that I’m here.”
The new constables initially spent a two-week stint with the local police force before starting 13 weeks of training with the Ontario Police College. After that they return and spend time training to learn local policies and procedures and then are paired with a parent constable for the first few months.
Police chief J.P. Levesque said he hopes the newest additions to his service follow a simple philosophy while on the job.
“Treat people how you’d like to be treated or if your parents or a loved one had to call the police, how you’d like to see them treated,” Levesque said. “That’s really the golden rule.”
Pelletier urged the officers to live up to their new role, both while on and off duty.
“You have chosen one of the most difficult and one of the most rewarding professions in our community," she said. "As you discharge your duties you will be expected to be all things to all people from all walks of life. You must now behave in an exemplary manner.”
