Cst. Nathan Kennedy’s approach to life is simple; treat everyone and everything as objectively as possible.

 

“When I talk to a person, I want to get to know their character and who they are before I make any judgements or determinations,” says Kennedy.

 

Cst. Kennedy’s is of Cree/Chipewyan descent and spent much of his youth in the foster care system. When times were tough there was always one presence that inspired him to keep going.

 

“I had a lot of experiences with police and in my eyes they were positive. I saw them as being beacons of calm and being able to help and settle situations. I really latched onto that from a young age and I always said that I wanted to be a police officer,” says Kennedy.

 

Now in his sixth year with Downtown Division, Cst. Kennedy believes being an EPS officer has offered him a unique perspective.

 

“Policing has been a fully enriching and valuable experience to my life. This career is everything that I thought it would be, and obviously way more. I get to see how incredibly dedicated my fellow police colleagues are on a day-to-day basis. Citizens don't always get to see that or get to know who these people (police officers) are behind the scenes, unless you have direct dealings with the police.”

 

With that, Cst. Kennedy is hopeful for the future of policing, specifically with respect to building stronger relationships with the Indigenous community.

 

“We can’t let anger guide us. That’s not going to do anything to make the future better. The path forward means coming together and asking ourselves how do we move forward positively? Through education and respect,” says Kennedy.