Police officers Mike Gauthier's and Sam Boutin's jobs changed suddenly and irrevocably in March.
That's when COVID arrived on the scene, and immediately, the constables were wearing masks, social distancing, sanitizing before and after every encounter and asking that question we've all heard a thousand times now.
Do you have any COVID symptoms?
"Really, through the pandemic, crime has been virtually the same," said Cst. Gautier, who's been a police officer for 11 years, two of them in Kelowna.
"But how we respond to it has definitely changed."
Cst. Gauthier and Cst. Boutin are the Kelowna RCMP's only foot patrol team, concentrating on the downtown core.
Especially during the busy summer, the two walked the beat, keeping an eye on everything and responding to calls.
"Basically, we stayed the course, trusting what our public health officials told us to do," said Cst. Boutin, who's spent his entire seven-year career as a police officer in Kelowna.
"We're all hoping for a vaccine, but I think that's a long way out. But soon, or later, things will hopefully go back to normal."
Besides returning to normal on the job, the constables are also hoping for exotic vacations in 2021.
"Yes, everyone's hurting for a vacation," said Cst. Gauthier.
"Like an all-inclusive in Mexico," added Cst. Boutin.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
