After almost a decade of service, Community Services Officer Corporal Janis Jean is retiring from the Central Saanich Police.
Jean planned her early retirement in order to spend more time with her family.
“The time has come where I feel I need to be spending more time with my family,” explained Jean, who has a 12-year-old daughter.
“I’ve been in policing for 24 years so I will miss it, and I will definitely miss all of my colleagues here,” said Jean, who likens the relationship with members on the force to a second family.
“You spend so much time together and in policing we tend to form really tight relationships with our colleagues. So yes, even though I’m wholeheartedly looking forward to this next chapter, I will undoubtedly miss the people I’ve come to know,” she continued.
Prior to starting her career in policing, Jean worked as the dispatcher for the Central Saanich Police Service which broadened her knowledge and appreciation for the area.
Once she became a police officer, Jean joined the West Vancouver Police Department. She then moved back to working on the Saanich Peninsula when she joined the CSPS in 2003.
Jean spent five years on patrol with the CSPS before she became the force’s Community Services Officer.
Since she started the position in 2008, Jean has been involved with the community on numerous different levels including acting as a media liaison for the service and working with volunteers to create the Brentwood Bay Community Police Office.
“It’s a great resource for the community and it just shows how involved and cohesive the people in our community are,” said Jean of the group of dedicated volunteers.
In her retirement Jean is looking forward to spending more time with her family, volunteering within the community and re-sharpening her photography skills.
“I used to be a professional photographer so that’s something I’m really looking forward to getting back into,” said Jean, who is planning on staying on the Peninsula.
But for the immediate future, Jean’s retirement plans include something a little more stereotypical.
“I’m going to Disneyland the week after I retire,” she laughed.
Jean’s position as Community Services Officer will be filled by Cpl. Wes Penny who has been with the force for almost five years.
Watch for a profile on Penny in the next edition of the Peninsula News Review.