After 5 years as Blackfalds RCMP Detachment Commander and Staff Sergeant, and more than 30 years with the RCMP, Ken Morrison turns in his badge today.

As he gets set to enter retirement, Morrison says it's the people he enjoyed most during his career.

He points to a number of community groups and organizations as well as the support of local municipal leaders for making his job easy.

“Working with the County’s towards providing safer communities has been incredible, the support we’ve had from both County’s and the municipality are second to none.  They are very progressive and thinking forward, rather than just dealing status quo, they’re always looking for solutions”.

Morrison most recently worked with both Lacombe County and Red Deer County on plans for RCMP plain clothes investigator positions, funded by the municipalities, tasked with rural criminal investigations.

His first post with the RCMP was in Carberry, Manitoba.

Morrison was stationed in the Northwest Territories for 21 years before making the move to central Alberta.

Regardless of the position he held, it was the ability to help people that he says was the most rewarding, he cites one case that really kept him going over the years.

“It was a very minor case, a break in many years ago that I was able to solve and was able to recover a wedding ring back when we arrested the individuals.  This was back in 1987 or ’88 and the look on the ladies face when I brought her wedding ring back, just made the job worth it”.

Sgt. Whitney Benoit will serve as Acting Staff Sgt. until a permanent replacement is announced.