A former Rocky resident who once worked as a program coordinator for the Rocky & District Victim Service Unit, is now the new detachment commander at the Chestermere RCMP Detachment.

Staff Sergeant Kathy Klassen was born in Labrador and grew up in Gander, Newfoundland. Klassen is a long time Albertan, however, who has worked in a number of communities.

After graduating from university in 2001, she moved to Alberta to seek employment opportunities. She worked as the program coordinator with the Rocky & District Victim Services Unit (VSU). The experience, according to Klassen, and her contact with the criminal justice system while working with Victim Services, inspired her to join the Alberta RCMP. Klassen said attending her brother’s graduation from the RCMP had also inspired her.

Staff Sergeant Klassen has been an active member of the Alberta RCMP for 17 years. She was first posted in Bassano, Alberta and served the rural community for four years. Klassen then made Fort McMurray her home when she transferred there in 2009, where she worked as a constable and pursued promotional opportunities up to the rank of staff sergeant.

“Having been posted in southern Alberta over a decade ago, I am excited to work in the area again,” says Staff Sergeant Klassen. “I am looking forward to my new position as detachment commander in Chestermere, as it is a growing community and I look forward to the challenges in delivering quality policing as part of Chestermere’s growth.”