By Bromley Chamberlain
What did you want to be when you grew up? Was there a certain dream job you wanted?
Dallas Langley, now 26, knew from a very young age what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“You see the cop, with the belt, all the tools, it’s the coolest thing for a little kid,” Langley said.
He always wanted to be a part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Before joining the RCMP, Langley studied at the University of Saskatchewan and received a bachelor of science and geological engineering degree.
With about a month left in RCMP, training the officers are asked to choose two or three provinces they would like be stationed in. Alberta was Langley’s first choice.
“Just because I’d worked here before, down around Calgary and Medicine Hat. I really liked being in the province.”
When asked why he didn’t become a city police officer, he said he’s never thought about it.
“Since I was small, anytime I’ve associated thoughts to the police, it’s always been the RCMP, just for the fact of where I live, there really is no city police,” Langley said.
Growing up in the small town of Springside, Sask., Langley feels right at home here in Rimbey. “I’m from a small town, so this what I’m use to, this is what I like.
Although he’s only been on the job a few days,
“One of the better things about it (working in a small town) is the interaction with the community.” Langley said, and where he’s from working for the RCMP is a respectable job.
“Growing up, I always wanted to get involved in the community. Being a police officer would put me in a position where I could make a difference in someone’s life in the community,” Langley said.
Being a role model for kids in the community, since most people look up to the police, is also important to him.
“Just dealing with people in the community is probably the thing I like most (about being in the RCMP),” Langley said. “You get to meet anybody, and everybody. I love seeing the diversity in the community, whether people notice it or not.”
Although moving to another province is difficult, Langley is close to his sister, who lives in Sylvan Lake and works at the Rimbey Hospital. He is awaiting the arrival of the rest of his belongings. He’d packed his truck with the essentials and made the eight-hour drive to Rimbey.
Being an outdoor person, Langley thinks Rimbey has a lot to offer. He loves fishing, golfing, “and as nerdy as it sounds, I like flying model airplanes.”
He likes hockey, biking and snowboarding; which is another reason he chose Rimbey — to be close to the mountains.
His favourite superhero is Batman, and thinks if someone were to play him in a movie it would be either Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Sylvester Stallone.
“I absolutely love the outdoors, the mountains. I do snowboard and I can’t wait for some snow.”