INNISFAIL – It was almost nine years ago when a 16-year-old Grade 11 student at Innisfail High School was shadowing a local police officer with one goal in mind.
Erich Marcinkowski wanted to become an RCMP police officer, and fast.
He was just a teen then and not quite old enough to qualify for a special summer camp at RCMP Academy, Depot Division in Regina.
But Marcinkowski hung in with his passion and finally qualified for Depot the following year.
He earned his high school diploma and committed himself to be part of the community through volunteering.
In 2016, Marcinkowski became a local community award winner by earning the annual Leaders of Tomorrow Award.
And the itch to become a cop never left him.
Nine years ago, the now defunct Innisfail Province even published a story about his dream.
And today at the age of 25 Marcinkowski is a full-fledged police officer with the Innisfail RCMP detachment.
But he had to pay his dues first.
After graduating from Depot Division in late 2020 he first had to do a two-year posting in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
That was followed with a posting to the village of Pelly Crossing, Yukon.
“It was a good place to learn and get a good, strong framework,” said Marcinkowski.
And then from the wilds of the Yukon he was handed his third posting.
Marcinkowski came home to Innisfail this past February.
“I've got family here, lots of old friends, and I’m happy to be back in a familiar area and back with what I know,” said Marcinkowski. “I can't even put it into words being back around family after being away for so long.”
As for his duties at the detachment, such as patrols and engaging the community, he still knows many of the same people from his high school days.
And there was nothing to become uneasy about as it was widely known for many years with everyone he knew that his ultimate ambition was to be a cop.
“I'm fortunate that I knew what I wanted to do from a really young age, and I was quite vocal about what I wanted to do,” said Marcinkowski. “So, anyone that knew me growing up knew that I grew up wanting to be a police officer, and I think it's just understood what I was put here to do.
“And if I encounter them through the course of my duties, I have to treat them like anybody else, right?”
After more than two months being part of the Innisfail RCMP detachment Marcinkowski is already getting good reviews from his superiors.
“After doing a tour of the North, he was highly invested to come back here,” said Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Michael Zufferli, the detachment’s second in command. “He's got a very community-oriented approach, which is something that we'd like to see in Innisfail with the RCMP.
“And he's just a very approachable young man,” he added.
And Marcinkowski is not the only homegrown Mountie in the detachment.
About three years ago Const. Jackson Haddow joined the detachment.
He also grew up in town and like Marcinkowski he knows the pulse of the community.
“These gentlemen really highlight the RCMP commitment to community policing, and they know the community,” said Zufferli. “They know the history of the community.
“I've been here two years, and I can speak to say Constable Haddow knows a lot of the youth that grew up in his time,” added Zufferli. “There's a lot of contacts these gentlemen made growing up in the community.
“They are fully invested in seeing this community thrive and grow.”
