Thirty-eight years after he first put on the uniform, Chief Del Block is retiring from the Estevan Police Service.
Putting the cap on his decorated career, Block will step away from the department he has run for the past five years at the end of the month. His official retirement will occur in May.
Block spoke with the Mercury Thursday to look back on his time with the EPS, the many changes he has seen in policing and how, with one decision, his career and the history of the department could have taken a much different path.
Just eight years into his career and with the EPS in a state of turmoil due to differences of opinion between Chief Ray Worsnop and the council of the day, Block began looking at other options and applied for a job with the police service in Hinton, Alta.
"I got hired by Hinton and I was offered the job. I went to Hinton and looked around and it just didn't feel right so I turned the position down," said Block, who never actually resigned his position with the EPS.
"Once I came back I knew that I was going to complete my career in Estevan."
Not only has Block completed his career in Estevan, he has done so with distinction, rising all the way to chief while gaining the respect of his peers throughout the country.
Block said he is looking forward to retirement and leaves with no regrets. Having said that, he readily admits walking away won't be easy.
"I definitely have mixed feelings. It has been a big part of my life for a long time. It's a workplace, but it's different than a lot of workplaces and you really almost become a family. Those connections are going to be hard to just walk away from.
"It's been a huge part of my life for 38 years and it's a huge step, but I know it's time to do it."
Block said when he made the decision to stay in Estevan, he also decided that he would retire in 2006, which was the department's 100th anniversary.
That obviously didn't happen, but Block said he knows now is the right time. A cancer survivor, Block has battled the disease for the past few years and has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy, which played a factor in his decision.
"Thirty-eight years is a long time in any one job so I felt I put my time in and with the past health conditions, I felt a guy should maybe just enjoy life a little bit and go do something else."
As he prepares for retirement, Block is also looking back at his 38 years and the changes in policing over that time.
He said policing is light years ahead of where it was when he began work on May 1, 1976. Interestingly, Block said many of the progressions when it came to municipal policing in Saskatchewan began in Estevan before they were adopted by other departments.
"We were the first police force (in Saskatchewan) to go to an open holster. Police used to always wear long coats and we were the first police force to go to the short patrol jacket. We were the first in the province to mount shotguns in the police vehicles. Some police forces had them in the trunk and so did we, but we were the first in the province to mount them right inside. It doesn't sound like much but it was a big step at the time."
Block added Estevan was the first department to move to 12-hour shifts and also the first to wear dark uniforms, moving from the pale blue that was standard for municipal forces in the province.
"A lot of firsts happened right here and it was progressive thinking," said Block, who credited Chief Worsnop and his fellow officers for pushing for the changes.
Block also credited Worsnop for helping to shape his career, noting the former chief was the one who encouraged his professional development.
"I remember a talk with Chief Worsnop and he was scolding me for not having enough tickets, and I told him I wanted criminal investigations and he said 'if that's what you want, let's see if we can get the training that you need to do it," Block said.
"He did get me the training and I got into the criminal investigations and I actually got to work plainclothes for several years. During that time too, I took a lot of training. Almost every training course I could take, I took it."
Among his many courses, Block said one that stood out was hostage negotiation. He also received advanced training from a member of the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team in Regina.
Although hostage training wouldn't seem like an important skill to have in Estevan, Block said it came in handy during a pair of armed standoffs - one in the city and one in Bienfait.
Block said he also received major crimes training and major case management, which included all types of serious investigations, including homicides. Again that training became useful when there were three murders in just a few years in Estevan.
Aside from his work with the EPS, Block was also an advocate for his fellow officers. He served in many different capacities, including as president, with the Estevan Police Association.
His involvement with the association opened the door to his becoming vice-president and later president of the Saskatchewan Police Association, which represents all municipal officers in the province.
"I also became vice-president of the Canadian Police Association out of Ottawa, which, at that time represented 34,500 municipal police officers," he said. "Some of the experiences I was able to get while doing that were just amazing. And to have someone from a small force be able to do that was amazing."
While working with the CPA, Block served as the chairman of the association's firearms committee. That led to his invitation to a private supper with then Prime Minister Kim Campbell, an event that still stands out as a highlight.
Block added he was also proud to be part of the creation of Saskatchewan's Police Act. Along with two other individuals, Block was tasked with creating legislation to govern police officers, most of which remains in place today.
"A lot of work went into it and there has been very few amendments to the act. It has been improved upon but there has been very few changes from the original sections," he said. "That was another thing, what an experience for a small town guy to be able to do."
Block added he has also been fortunate to sit on the advisory board of the provincial police college and help direct changes for the betterment of Saskatchewan communities.
"When I think back I really was blessed in my career. I think the timing was just right."
When he made the decision early in his career to remain in Estevan, Block said it was around that time that he also set a goal of becoming chief. He recalled a meeting with Worsnop where he told his chief to take good care of his chair because one day it would be his.
"I didn't say that to be smart and he didn't take it that way. But I said I am setting my goal that high here and someday I want to be chief of this department."
Block's road to chief was hardly a smooth one though. He first applied when Ray Delorme retired as chief in the early 2000s, but was passed over in favour of Peter MacKinnon. When MacKinnon resigned, Block applied again only to see the job go to Bing Forbes of Regina.
Block admitted he was deflated after being passed over but said the rejection helped him focus on what he could do better. As for when the job came open a third time, he debated whether or not he should even apply.
"That was year 33 and I'm thinking do I really want to do this," he said. "But I thought, I am going to apply again and see if I'll fulfill my goal and if I don't, I don't."
Speaking about his time as chief, Block said he can't believe how quickly the five years have passed since he was named to the position in March 2009, which was when Estevan was just beginning its economic boom that is still going on today.
He noted that in 2009, the EPS had 2,080 calls for service. In 2013, they had 9,177.
"That's why my five years went fast. The changes we've had to do within our department have just been amazing," Block said. "It's been the fastest five years of my career, without a doubt."
Although it has gone by quick, Block said he is proud of his work while serving as chief. Along with growing the department to meet the changing face of the city it serves, Block has helped restore some of the credibility the EPS lost as it bounced from one controversy to another.
"We haven't had one controversial issue. We've had some tough things happen; for the first time in our history we had a death in our cells," said Block, who was quick to credit his team of officers for the improved image of the department.
"We have such a good team of officers here right now. Everybody is here for the right reasons. I've said it more than once; Corey Chamblin and I have winning teams. It's the team that we have here now.
"We've got a lot of officers here that do really positive stuff outside of the department; coaching hockey, lacrosse, being involved in army cadets. There are so many different things we are doing out in the community and those things pay huge dividends."
Due in no small part to the quality of his officers, Block said he is able to go into retirement confident that he is leaving the EPS in a good position for the future.
"This police department is very adequately staffed, we have the right numbers now to provide the service and stability to the city," said Block who noted that the one regret he leaves with is not discovering what happened to Courtney Struble who has been missing for a number of years.
"We have the equipment. I have always believed in training, mainly because training got me to where I am today, and we take advantage of training courses anytime we can.
"We have created some new things in the last few years; we have a full-time school resource officer, we have a full-time traffic section now, we have two members in plainclothes working on investigations and drugs and we'll hopefully be able to get three in there. Things are really positive right now."
As for himself, Block said he doesn't have any firm plans for his retirement but plans to eventually find something to keep himself from going "stir crazy."
"I am looking forward to it but I know there is going to be that down time. It's a huge change but at the same time it's a change I want to happen, it's not a change I am being forced into.
"I really feel like I am leaving on a positive note, and that is the time to leave."
