RPS Sgt. Kevin Lerat retires after 25 years of service
- EFN Staff | August 25, 2018
After 25 years, Kevin Lerat recently retired as a Sergeant Officer from the Regina Police Service (RPS).
Lerat from the Cowessess First Nation was surprised when his former colleagues, Cst. Claudia Jones and Staff Sgt. Michelle Jarocki put together a farewell presentation for him to honour his service as an officer.
“I got a phone call from Cpl. Tracey Dunnigan and indicated they put something together for me,” he said. “I was gifted with an eagle feather and a star quilt. You don’t realize how much you made an impact on the members that are around you. Twenty-five years and that opened my eyes to a few people who banded together to put that ceremony for me. Totally surprised me and caught me off guard.”
It was his dream as a child to become a police officer. When he finished university, the opportunity came up and he went for it. The thrill of the job for Lerat was not knowing what each day brought and that kept the excitement going for him. “You never knew what was going to happen,” he said.
His presence at the RPS will be missed by his colleagues including Sgt. Jarocki. She said she learned a lot as an officer from Lerat. “I just love him. He’s got a good sense of humour. We’ve always gotten along,” said Sgt. Jarocki who has been with RPS for 23 years. “I just miss hanging out with him and visiting with him at work. I always had a good time at work. I’ll miss that.”
Lerat was Jarocki’s sergeant when she was a watch commander for two and a half years in that capacity but she has known Lerat and his family for a long time. She said Lerat is such a great person who made an excellent cop.
“I do look up to Kevin. He had a unique way of managing people but he was fair. He really cared about his members and he went out of his way to make sure that they were successful,” said Sgt. Jarocki. “That impacted me…he’s a very compassionate and stand up person. Anyone I needed in my corner to be there, would be Kevin.”
After 25 years, Lerat decided it was time to hang up the hat. Now that he’s enjoying retirement, he said he can relax and spend quality time with his family.
“I’m going to enjoy life as much as I can tomorrow isn’t guaranteed,” he said. “I’m focusing on my grandkids and spending time with them.”
Lerat’s advice to others who want to pursue a career with the police service is to work hard to achieve the status of helping and serving the public.
“Live right and…work on your dreams and work on your education to get yourself to a level that will be an asset to the service,” he said.