Late last year the Saskatchewan Women in Policing (SWIP) nonprofit organization was created to provide the opportunity for women in policing to connect, access female-centric training, as well as mentorship, and build strong professional relationships.

In the Fall of 2020, Sgt. Lisa Simonson of the Prince Albert Police Service reached out and brought together 16 women police and executive leaders from across Saskatchewan’s policing community to determine if there was an appetite for such an organization in the Province.

There was overwhelming support to develop an organization such as this and one that was long overdue. As a result, a group of eight women police leaders from across the province came together and founded SWIP.

Aside from their president they currently have seven other board members that are from different police organizations such as Inspector Tonya Gresty from the Saskatoon Police Service who is their Vice President, Sergeant Kimberley Stewart from the RCMP is their Treasurer, Staff Sergeant Laurel Marshall from the Regina Police Service is the Professional Development Director, Staff Sergeant Marlie Frei from the Moose Jaw Police Service is the Membership Director, Constable Andrea Vogel of the Saskatoon Police Service is the Promotion/Marketing/Social Media Director, Constable Danielle Stephanie from the Estevan Police Service is their Events Director, and Constable Melinda Mintenko from the Weyburn Police Service is the SWIP board's Secretary.

They held their first interim board meeting in Saskatoon virtually on November 20, 2020, and SWIP became a non-profit organization in December 2020.

"I think it's really important that this encompasses all of the agencies within the province of Saskatchewan," told Constable Danielle Stephanie with the Estevan Police Service. "From municipal agencies, RCMP, we have sheriffs, conservation officers, and we have at least an interest from the border services. So it's nice to have so much interest and a grouping of quite a diversity of services within the province."

The encouraging momentum toward creating a more balanced public safety force is fueled in part by a growing appreciation of certain unique and valuable professional qualities that women often bring to law enforcement. Such qualities are believed to enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to make a positive impact on the communities they serve.

There is also a new generation of women being promoted to law enforcement leadership and command roles, with a growing number of police chief positions across the country being filled by women.

Earlier this week SWIP launched its official website and they are putting out the call for more police members, lawmakers, and civilians to join them.

SWIP is an inclusive group that includes cis females, trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people. However, the organization will also welcome sworn male allies into membership, and they are working towards a format that will include the many valuable civilian colleagues of the policing community.

"I encourage all of you to check out our website as it outlines who we are and it introduces you to our board and an advisory board," shared Constable Melinda Mintenko of the Weyburn Police Service who also sits as the Secretary for SWIP. "Our website will keep you up to date with the latest news and it also opens up an opportunity for people to become members. We also have an award section that is in the making and also a section for sponsorship as well. On there you can see the different types of memberships available, the cost, and also who is able to be eligible to become a member of SWIP."

She added that their active membership includes serving Police officers and retired members of the Saskatchewan law enforcement community as well as designated law enforcement agencies such as the Canadian Border Services, Indigenous Police agencies, Military Police, RCMP, Highway Patrol, Sheriffs, Provincial Emergency Communication Centre, Railway Police, and more.

"A second section for our membership is our associate membership which is for civilian members and retired members of the Saskatchewan law enforcement community," Mintenko stated. "So our civilian membership will include individuals that are employed by law enforcement agencies that are not sworn members and anyone invested in law enforcement whose training experience or other professional attainments in law enforcement aligns with our SWIP vision and mission statement."

Mintenko encourages everyone to read the biographies of all of their members on their website and expressed that every member of law enforcement in the province has a unique and important story that they would love to share with other Saskatchewan law enforcement members as well as civilians.

SWIP's mission statement is to facilitate the mentorship of women across the province, advocating for the advancement in leadership through unified support and professional development.

Last month the SWIP Board of Directors and Advisory Board were able to finally all meet in person in Saskatoon at which time they were able to do a photoshoot of the members as well as an introductory video for their website.

Photo courtesy of Melinda Mintenko and captured by Wilna Furstenberg.

Anyone interested in learning more about SWIP can send an email to info@swipsk.ca and you can also take a look at their official website.

"We are always looking for speakers and sponsors and we have a lot of really exciting things to come," expressed Mintenko. "I think no matter how many years of service we all have a story to share regardless of our gender. SWIP will be providing support and mentorship which may or may not have been there for individuals along their career path. We will provide exciting learning and networking opportunities through seminars and training sessions. We are currently planning a conference for 2022 and we are working on an awards feature to give credit for awesome provincial achievements. We're working on SWIP merchandise which is being set up with the creation of Challenge coin. So I encourage you to take a look and see and I hope you will consider becoming a member of SWIP.

SWIP has also recently teamed up with an organization called Love My Mind which was started by the family of Mark Anderson who unfortunately was taken from this world due to addictions and mental health. All of the profits made from merchandise sales will be going towards mental health partners who are in need of assistance. You can learn more about Love My Mind HERE.

For more on SWIP feel free to follow them on Facebook and make sure to check out their official website HERE.

Below we have their official launch video shared for you to learn even more about the current members and what their plans are.