Const. Connor Vaivods rides his bike through Downtown Guelph, along the familiar streets he grew up in.
Other days, he walks from the Guelph police station into the downtown, chatting with dozens of people along the way.
Vaivods was born at Guelph General Hospital and spent countless hours downtown - giving him a personal connection to his current role as the Guelph Police Service’s downtown community resource officer.
Vaivods checks the paths along the Speed River before heading inside the Quebec Street Shoppes to chat with the staff at the Buck or Two and Rexall
Chatting with the workers, he is a friendly face to those in the store who are grateful to have him checking in on them and assessing any needs or concerns they may raise.
Next, he heads outside and greets Royal City citizens by name, sparking up conversations and offering a judgment-free check-in to the community members he has gotten to know.
For the last three months, Vaivods has been walking the beat Const. Mark O’Connell walked before a serious collision took him off the job for an extended period.
“I do feel a sense of purpose in this new role more than I did before, because I feel like I can actually have an effect on the health of downtown, and it means a lot to me,” said Vaivods.
Vaivods said in his interactions with the community he has developed a better understanding of the life experiences of some of the marginalized citizens in Guelph.
Vaivods attended Carleton University where he briefly studies journalism, however, he soon discovered the law course he was enrolled in better aligned with his values in a career.
After Carleton, he took an advanced policing course at Conestoga College, leading him to taking a job with the Toronto Police Service for five years.
Vaivods joined the Guelph Police Service a year ago, spending his time primarily assigned to downtown as part of a platoon.
Within a few months, he applied for the position of downtown community resource officer and was named the successful candidate, moving into the position in December.
For Vaivods, Downtown Guelph isn’t just his area of work, it’s where he lives and spends time off.
Although some police officers are keen to separate the city they police in and the city they live in, Vaivods said he is happy to merge the two as this is the community he was raised in and the pros of connecting the two far outweigh any cons.
“Now, although I do see people I recognize and who recognize me when I am downtown just for pleasure and not for work, it hasn’t been an issue and the pros certainly outweigh the cons,” said Vaivods. “You do get that sense of belonging and a sense of purpose.”
According to the Guelph Police Service, a survey by the Downtown Guelph Business Association identified greater police presence as a top desire among its more than 500 members.
Vaivods said he is aiming for a style of policing that can be described as a slice of Americana, akin to picturing a small town where life is peaceful and the worst style of crime is where a cooling pie is stolen from a window.
“That’s sort of the direction I am aiming for, which is as I am walking from the police station down here I will probably say 'hi' to two dozen people, and it’s usually a good morning or how is it going?” said Vaivods.
“With me being just three months in, I am still in the orientation phase of my job and trying to figure out exactly where my puzzle pieces fits into the greater picture of everything, said Vaivods.
