Regina Police Service seals time capsule in wall of new headquarters

Regina residents of the future may get some insights into year 2022 from a time capsule at police headquarters.

On Monday, Regina's mayor and police chief placed a variety of items in a suitcase-sized black container, which was then placed in a wall that connects the existing Regina Police Service (RPS) building to the new headquarters.

"It's a reminder to our future generation as to how our city and our police service operates today," said Mayor Sandra Masters. 

She said the new headquarters should be complete in six to eight months. 

The items in the capsule include a police tunic and hat, an orange shirt, sage, a copy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action and a COVID-19 test kit.

Chief Evan Bray also put in a letter to future generations about his hopes.

He said it's impossible to imagine what policing will look like 50 or 100 years from now. He said there may be more drones and likely more electric vehicles.

Bray said his main hope is that society is able to help all people who are struggling with addictions and other challenges.

"There are a lot of other partner agencies and different levels of government that we can work with to try to address some of these social issues like addictions, like mental health, like domestic conflict that often is born from historical trauma," Bray said. 

"Those types of things are police challenges to deal with on a daily basis. But ultimately, if we can really dig into those by involving other community partners and people that are better trained to do that work, I think we're better off."

Bray said he thinks there will be "incredible change" over the coming years. 

The current RPS building was built in the early 1970s and served a city population of roughly 100,000 fewer people than the current day, according to Bray. He said he welcomes having the whole RPS team under one roof once the new headquarters are completed. 

Bray said he hopes that in a century, those who open the time capsule will have seen vast improvements in community safety, reducing victimization and helping people with social challenges. 

"It is my hope that when that time capsule opens, they can say, 'Oh my gosh, can you believe 100 years ago this was something that they were working on? Because today it's a given that that happens. People receive that service automatically, whether it's supportive housing or addictions counselors or any of those types of challenges that we often talk about from the social side of things.'"

Bray said he is confident that the RPS will move the needle on these issues as the years go by.