Why one RCMP officer wants to 'make a difference' one traffic tweet at a time
The RCMP's traffic Twitter account, run by Const. Jamie Parsons, has almost 16K followers
Working with P.E.I. RCMP for the past 17 years, Const. Jamie Parsons says he's been witness to some truly head-scratching moments while on patrol.
Now through the RCMP's traffic Twitter account, @RCMPPEITraffic, he's infusing a little humour into teachable moments he has while on the job.
"Anybody that knows me knows that I like to have a bit of fun with my conversations. I think by adding a little humour to the tweets it garners more interest from the public, my followers," Parsons said.
The RCMP's traffic account had about 15,600 followers as of Wednesday evening.
"I think my passion comes from the early stages ... in my career. I attended a few serious motor vehicle collisions where people had passed," Parsons said.
why didn't you pull over while I followed with lights/sirens on for 2 KM? -"you Kinda sneaked up on me". Cst. Parsons <a href="http://t.co/86cbfk1pMZ">pic.twitter.com/86cbfk1pMZ</a>
—@RCMPPEITraffic"I've been to some collisions where I've witnessed people take their last breaths before passing. Most of those collisions were due to impaired driving or speed."
Watch Const. Jamie Parsons' interview on CBC News: Compass:
It's moments like those that compelled him to want to "make a difference" in the lives of Islanders, he said.
"I kind of find some comfort in my tweets, actually. because I know when I send out the tweets, especially the ... educational ones about drinking and driving or driving aggressively, I feel that I'm doing a bit extra."
There have also been some perplexing moments, including encountering Islanders trying to surf on top of their cars —and then there was the bathtub.
Hot boxing your car is never a good idea... hot boxing in the middle of a parking lot of a busy town on a Tuesday night is even a worse idea. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DontDriveHigh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DontDriveHigh</a> Cst. Parsons <a href="https://t.co/doUDhYqFzV">pic.twitter.com/doUDhYqFzV</a>
—@RCMPPEITraffic"The craziest thing I ever [saw] was, during a snowstorm while I'm patrolling Montague, an individual being towed behind a pickup truck in a bathtub on snow-covered streets," he said.
Parsons said he's just happy to have the opportunity to keep in touch with Islanders and keep them informed.
They appear to be all out of munchies... but in possession of a bong and marijuana. 19 year old driver has been issued a 7 day driving suspension and Fines under the Canabis Act. Cst. Parsons <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DriveSoberPEI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DriveSoberPEI</a> <a href="https://t.co/vf0ACp40Ct">pic.twitter.com/vf0ACp40Ct</a>
—@RCMPPEITrafficMore P.E.I. news
With files from CBC News: Compass