ESTEVAN - Const. Jordan Ross will arrive at Estevan at the end of this month and will start working the streets shortly.
Ross is the third new hire who joined the Estevan Police Service recently to replace officers that left the service earlier. He will become a part of the team along with Cole Hoover and Vaughn Golden, whose stories the Mercury shared recently.
Unlike the other two new EPS members, who moved to Estevan from Alberta, Ross is from Saskatchewan. Born in the small town of Kronau, he said he had a traditional Saskatchewan childhood.
"I grew up playing hockey, like all other Sask. kids. Went to Reno High School in Balgonie, Saskatchewan, and played hockey throughout my childhood until a couple of years ago," Ross shared.
Hockey remained a big part of his life from 2013 through 2020, and still is. He played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with Yorkton Terriers for several seasons, including when they won the national championship in the 2013-14 season. He also played for Prince George Cougars in the Western Hockey League and for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology through the Ontario University Athletics Association.
His brother Taylor spent a season playing with the Estevan Bruins in the 2014-15 season.
Ross said he, to a point, grew up in the Estevan area playing hockey. Besides, his older brother is a police officer in Weyburn, and Ross himself had experience working for the WPS as a communications civilian. He was familiar with the area even before he was hired by the EPS, and now he is looking forward to getting to know people here better.
"I'm excited to get going down there. I know it's a beautiful little city," Ross said.
Estevan Police Chief Rich Lowen said that Ross's knowledge of the southeast and family history of service were among other assets that played a role in their decision.
Ross noted that for him, Estevan offers a great opportunity to start a career in policing. On the one hand, the EPS settings will allow him to learn at a bit of a slower pace than in big cities. But on the other hand, the local service has all kinds of areas to explore.
"It offers all the big things that you need like a canine unit and drug unit, stuff like that. So that's always a good thing for someone new coming in … That was kind of something that drove me towards Estevan," Ross explained.
"It's a great small city that offers a bunch so I'm looking forward to getting going."
Ross said he always envisioned himself being a part of the policing world. Not only does it run in his family, but he said he has also always liked problem-solving.
"It's always been a goal of mine. I might sound cliché, but my dad was a police officer for 26 years [with the Regina Police Service]. I got to grow up watching what he's done within the community and how the community grows through policing, and all that fun stuff, and also with my brother being a police officer in Weyburn. So it's always been in the family and I can't see myself sitting behind a desk doing a nine to five job," Ross said, adding that policing, with many different jobs it consists of, always intrigued him and was something that he strives towards.
He said that his goal right now is to get through college. Further down the line, he'd be interested in learning more about working with a canine, and eventually, his big aspiration is to join the tactical unit. But for now, he is just looking forward to making Estevan his home.
"Within the next few years, I just want to find a home in Estevan and settle down and make everything my own and just get to know the community and get to become a part of the community in the next one or two years just starting off. So I'm looking forward to that," Ross said.
He added that he still plays a lot of hockey and hopes to get involved with hockey in Estevan. And he also likes golf and has big plans for Estevan's golf courses this summer.
Ross is graduating May 27, and after that, he will proceed with field training, in which he will be paired with an experienced EPS officer for six months.
"I'm super excited to get down there so I can get my field training underway," Ross said.
