Bow Island/Foremost RCMP detachment commander brings wealth of experience

Commentator/Courier Photo submitted. Sergeant Alan Rivard

By Heather Cameron
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Sergeant Alan Rivard is the current Detachment Commander at the Bow Island and Foremost RCMP detachment.

“I am responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of the detachment which serves the County of Forty Mile including Bow Island and Foremost,” said Sergeant Rivard. “My main focus is community engagement for myself and for the RCMP members that work at the Bow Island Detachment. Building a relationship with the community is extremely important to me.”

Originally from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Rivard says he moved to Calgary after graduating high school, and completed a degree in Criminal Justice. After completing his degree, Rivard says, he worked in Corrections at the Medicine Hat Remand Centre and was a Peace Officer with Calgary Transit before joining the RCMP in 2006.

“I grew up in a family of policing,” said Rivard. “My sister is a retired officer who worked for the Calgary Police Service and the Abbotsford Police Service. My father is a retired British Columbia Sheriff. Policing culture was always prominent in my life growing up and I knew from a very young age that I wanted to become a police officer. I wanted a career that involved working and serving the community, provided a challenge, and didn’t require sitting in a cubicle every day. I’ve been a member of the RCMP for nearly 18 years.”

While within the RCMP, Rivard says, he has worked as a Crisis Negotiator, an investigator with drug enforcement and organized crime units and have worked general duty patrols in both Fort McMurray and Airdrie. Rivard says he has also previously been posted in Fort McMurray, Airdrie and Redcliff.

Currently, Sergeant Rivard says, he lives in Medicine Hat with his family, which includes his three children, Hannah, Jacob and Gavin, who are also heavily involved in sports, specifically the RASC Soccer Program in Medicine Hat, but will be moving to Bow Island in the very near future. 

“I’m involved in sports and looking forward to helping out with local sports in any way I can, whether its coaching or assisting the coaches or participating in practices. Sports is an important part of my life,” said Sergeant Rivard. 

Rivard says he is truly eager to get out in the community and involve myself in all of the amazing events this area has to offer.

“I feel extremely happy to be in Bow Island and I am very positive about the road ahead for our detachment. “Being involved in police work to me means building relationships within the community where I serve. This to me is the most important aspect of police work. Fostering trust, building ties and working closely with the community is fundamental for having a police service that truly serves the community and ensures we are doing our very best to meet the specific needs and address the concerns with the community.”