New season of police reality TV series focuses on officers serving Tsuut'ina Nation, near Calgary
'It's important to see that our police officers are human beings,' says police chief
The latest season of a reality television show puts a spotlight on the Tsuut'ina Nation, just outside Calgary, as the members of its police force work to keep residents safe.
The third season of the Tribal Police Files, which premiered this month on APTN, brings viewers along as the officers respond to calls in the community.
The documentary series is produced and directed by Steve Sxwithul'txw, who is from the Penelakut Tribe on the West Coast and has worked as a police officer in British Columbia.
"Working with cameras in any community can be a challenge, but seeing the final result, we are so pleased with its outcome and are grateful for the opportunity to work in the Tsuut'ina Nation with these fine, dedicated police officers," said Sxwithul'txw.
"It was a really great experience in documenting that interaction between the police service and the community," he told The Homestretch.
The chief of the Tsuu'tina Police Service says the series shows some of the unique challenges faced by his police department.
Keith Blake says the two previous seasons of the show also focused on First Nation police services, but as a nation right next door to a large city like Calgary, his officers see things other forces ordinarily would not.
"It runs the gamut. I think that's really how it happens every day in a police officer's life here in Tsuut'ina," he said.
Blake says the series helps humanize the profession, which is important since policing everywhere has come under a microscope in the past few years.
"I think it's important to see that our police officers are human beings, and they have lives outside of the job. And they come to work with the passion of helping people, helping the community, keeping it safe," he said.
According to a release from OCM 3 Productions, Tribal Police Files differs from other cop shows by focusing more on the police officers' personal lives and highlighting Indigenous culture and traditions.
The 13-part series is airing in both the Tsuut'ina language and English.
With files from Karina Zapata and The Homestretch