Cst. Andrea Cohen

I have always wanted to help people.  I took the Child and Youth Worker program, but realized I wanted to help all people. I always wanted to be a police officer, but I knew there was tons of competition. Several events happened that told me I had to try. When I won an Ottawa Police Service (OPS) baseball cap at a Pride event, I figured it was a sign! I took Police Foundations at Algonquin College and applied after graduation. I was hired a year later. In order to help people, it’s important you can empathize, relate, understand and feel compassion for them. People want to be heard, they need help and if you can understand where they are coming from you can do a much better job of helping them. Nothing gives me more pleasure than hearing from someone that what I did made a difference in their life, just by my being there.

I am also a huge animal lover and work in rescue. Policing gives me the opportunity to help animals escape some horrible situations. Last year, I rescued a dog who had been stolen. I found him tied to a wood box, in the freezing cold of winter. Fortunately, it was a happy ending.

Being a part of the LGBT community, I have participated in numerous Pride events, even attending World Pride in Toronto as a representative of OPS. It’s important to me that members of my community see ‘out’ officers and know there is support for the community within the OPS. I know I made the right choice becoming a police officer.