By TERRY PUGH
Sergeant Richard (Dick) Fraser was sworn in as the Corman Park Police Service (CPPS) Service Sergeant Major in a ceremony at the RM of Corman Park office on Monday, June 8.
Fraser, a 25-year veteran of the Regina Police Service, previously served in the Canadian Armed Forces before moving to a career in law enforcement. He holds the Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (M.O.M.), one of Canada’s highest honours for police service awards for military and police service.
Fraser was sworn in by Corman Park Police Chief Robert Duttchen, who noted this is the first time in the CPPS history the service has designated a Service Sergeant Major. In addition to regular supervisory and patrol duties, Fraser will have responsibility for police officers’ dress and deportment, drill and ceremonial capability, and police uniforms and equipment.
“Sergeant Fraser’s arrival marks a defining moment for this organization,” said Chief Constable Robert A. Duttchen. “His career represents the very best of Canadian policing — decorated service, international experience, and an unmatched depth of expertise. But what sets Dick apart is not only what he has done, it is how he has done it. He brings professionalism, discipline, and personal pride in the craft of policing that will raise the standard of everything we do. We are fortunate to have him.”
Duttchen said the CPPS has historically had two sergeants, but one of those positions has been vacant for about a year and a half.
Duttchen said that when he was appointed Chief, he knew that filling that vacancy was a priority.
“Once I got on board, it became clear we definitely need two or three sergeants within the organization,” he added.
He said Fraser was a logical fit because of his varied and diverse background, his leadership ability and the work he’s done to build the ceremonial unit at the Regina Police Service.
“In my time in Winnipeg, I served as a Sergeant Major,” said Duttchen. “I know the importance of the role in terms of professionalism, in dress, in deposition, that the Sergeant Major brings.”
He added that Fraser’s expertise also boosts local policing capacity.
“Dick is a certified explosives technician,” he said. “Which means if we find a suspicious package we have a built-in expert that then becomes available to all the police agencies, so before it turns into a full-blown bomb call, Dick can go out, take a look, make an assessment and give a professional opinion to the RCMP ‘F’ Division Bomb Unit or the Saskatoon Police Bomb Unit. It’s an incredibly huge boon for us to be putting someone of this caliber into our organization at this time.”
The appointment of Sergeant Fraser reflects the CPPS’s ongoing commitment to building a professional, capable, and community-focused police service for the Rural Municipality of Corman Park and the surrounding region, according to Duttchen. His arrival strengthens the Service’s supervisory structure, expands its institutional depth, and signals the organization’s intention to meet the highest standards of Canadian policing.
“We are not just hiring a Sergeant,” said Duttchen. “We are putting in place a cornerstone. Dick’s expertise, his record, and his values are exactly what this police service needs as we grow. The community of Corman Park deserves a police service that reflects the best of what Canadian law enforcement can be — and Sergeant Fraser is a significant part of how we get there.”
Duttchen said CPPS is on a “growth trajectory,” with two additional recruits set to begin courses at the Regina Police College in July.
“The new recruits will bring us to a total of 15 officers and two professional staff as of July,” he said, adding that in addition to focusing on getting impaired drivers off the road, the police force is working with other agencies to stop criminal activity in the region.
“The most pressing issue right now is we’re seeing people who are committing crimes in the city and then moving out to rural locations to either stash their booty or set up their drug trafficking operation, because they think there’s less chance of detection,” said Duttchen. “So our officers, being out on the road and actively enforcing traffic, will inevitably come into contact with subjects who really have no lawful reason to be out in the RM. Using that proactive traffic enforcement, we’ve been able to identify several problem locations throughout the RM that are connected to criminality, and working with our partners like the RCMP, Saskatoon Police and provincial Marshals service, we’re finding the most effective and efficient way to deal with these problems.”