It’s about giving back

Truro police officer involved in community in many ways

TRURO - Getting involved in the community for a police officer can be a bit tricky at times because some people never get past the uniform.

That is what made a quick greeting memorable for Truro Police Service Cst. Katie Titus-walsh when, while in uniform and doing her job as a school resource officer, she was recognized by a U-10 female basketball player she had coached.

“One of the girls comes over and she says: ‘Hi Katie,’ and her friend looks and asks: ‘Who is she?’

'Oh, she is my basketball coach,'” Titus-walsh said, quoting the young player’s response.

“I was like, ‘wow’ it really can make a difference, change perceptions. (Getting involved) can change the lens to show police officers are human too. We’re not living in our uniforms in a police car, we’re more than that.”

Titus-walsh has been with Truro Police since 2014 after graduating from the police academy in 2012. In between, she did some work for the New Brunswick sheriffs service as well as doing temporary duty as a summer constable Charlottetown.

No matter where the Sussex, N.B., native landed, there was no doubt she was going to volunteer in some capacity to enrich her community.

“I love to work with the community in general because that’s how I grew up,” she said. “My parents taught me community is important, and giving back is important. I knew my giving back was going to be through sport because that’s what I know, so I’m helping the community in that way.”

Titus-walsh's sport is basketball, and she has done various work on the court with a few area teams, including with the CEC, DAL-AC, and Colchester Basketball Association. She credits Truro Police Chief Dave Macneil with helping her get involved in the local basketball scene as he was a volunteer coach himself with his daughter’s team.

“Once I came to know what the community was like, then I was able to excel,” she said. “I thank him for that opportunity … for opening the door.”

Titus-walsh said she doesn’t always point out to her basketball athletes what she does for a living but if they ask, she’ll tell them. She said it can be another opportunity for education, something she has the opportunity to do while walking a beat for Truro Police Services.

“My approach with youth is I always say to them: ‘I go home and I’m just like you,'” she said.

“It’s about educating them on that because a lot of it is them just seeing me in this intimidating way – the police car, the lights - but it’s more than that, and you want kids to see that.

“There is the education around it and coaching, because that is what I already have going on, really helps.”

She talked about empowering youth as both a police officer and coach.

“I hope that by being an active member in my community, whether through work or volunteer, I give youth of our community the strength and confidence to follow their dreams, whatever those may be,” she said.

HOOPS STARTS

Titus-walsh was selected to oversee a special sports program this summer which involved engaging with girls who were not participating in sports.

A partnership between Sport Nova Scotia’s RESPORT program, the Colchester Basketball Association, and the Town of Truro, the program was geared towards U-12 girls, an age group the association saw a big gap in as far as participation.

“Coming into it, I felt a little bit of pressure because I might know basketball, but I don’t know everything. And most of my experience coaching was competitive players, I hadn’t coached anyone who didn’t know the game or hadn’t played. This was going to be different,” she said.

Still, association president Paul Macisaac described Titus-walsh as the “perfect fit” while also praising the three university-aged young women who assisted her - Hannah Roberts, Maddie

Greatorex and Chelsea Macisaac. “We knew the right person could make the experience not only rewarding but long-lasting,” he said. “It had to be about more than just basketball.”

And it was. Titus-walsh said they would do an activity like the question of the day which could be “what’s your hobby?’ or ‘what do you like to do for fun?’ She said it was about building an atmosphere where the girls felt safe and wanted to stay.

“By the end of the program, we did play basketball, did a lot of that, but we also did a lot of building relationships with them,” she said.

“Really came to know them and, at the end, one of the girls was asking ‘how do I get involved in basketball?’”

She said her job as a police officer didn’t come up but her role as a new mom did as she brought baby Jay to the gym with her.

“When I grew up, you never saw that,” Titus-walsh said. “I think the WNBA has changed that dramatically. You’ll see players and coaches bringing their kids, owning the fact they’re mothers. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to share that.”

So after going in with a little apprehension, Tituswalsh described her Hoop Starts experience as “refreshing.”

“I was on cloud nine at the end of it because they were asking: ‘Can we have this group forever?’

“I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the launch of the Hoops Strong program. It was truly an honour to be part of,” she said.