2018 Rosalind Smith Professional Award Winner – Inspector Joel Whittaker

Joel Whittaker joined the Edmonton Police Service on March 17, 1986.
He was a young boy of 19 years. His timing coincided with the end of a 4 year hiring freeze at the EPS. He was one of the 26 people accepted into Recruit Training Class #86. Nine months later, Whittaker was sent to West Division, where he spent three years learning policing from the ground up.
In 1990, a posting for the Service’s elite Tactical unit caught Whittaker’s attention. “It was one of the biggest challenges of his career.Qualifying officers had to participate in a gruelling “run-off”. “They really pushed them, mentally and physically.” It was tough, and twenty three-year old Whittaker succeeded, becoming the youngest police officer in the Service’s history to join Tactical. He says “Tactical is where he really learned the value of team work. “You can’t do it by yourself. You need to rely on your team members.”
Whittaker’s specialty was close protection work. “He was a bodyguard for dignitaries who visited Edmonton.” With special fondness, he recalled protecting former president George Bush (Senior). Whittaker worked alongside Secret Service Agents and members of the RCMP during Bush’s stay in the city. Such an accomplishment for a black man.
Whittaker followed up his time in Tactical with stints in the Cultural Resources Unit, Court Liaison, and Downtown Division. Each new posting gave him the opportunity to enhance his knowledge of policing and the justice system and today he is the first Black Police Inspector in Alberta.
Inspector Whittaker puts his extensive knowledge to use as one of four Duty Officers responsible for overseeing frontline police operations in Edmonton. He sees his new role as “the final exam” for everything he has learned and done in a career that spans more than a quarter of a century. We are proud of all his contributions and hard work for the black community and the community at large.