A release from the Town of Amherst Police
STEWIACKE: A new officer is on the beat in the Town of Amherst.
Cameron Baker began patrolling the town as a part-time constable on Dec. 17, 2020. He is filling a vacancy created by the departure of Const. Destiny Merriam.
“Cameron has the desire, skills and compassion that make up a good police officer,” Police Chief Dwayne Pike said in welcoming the new constable to the community
“We look forward to working with him as we all strive to ensure Amherst is a great place to live, work and play.”
A native of Stewiacke, Baker said he’s always been interested in becoming a police officer.
“Growing up I always had a great interaction with the police,” Cameron said. “We had the RCMP in our community. You’d be around playing road hockey and see them go by. We always waved and stuff.”
A person who has always been interested in helping his community, his interest in policing deepened when his brother became a police officer with the Westville Police Service.
“I found that really opened the door for me to explore the field,” Baker said. “That is when I really made up my mind that this is what I was going to do.
“He definitely showed me the steps that I could take to become an officer. He never forced it on me, but whenever I had questions, he’d be sure to answer and tell me why he enjoyed it.”
Upon graduating high school, Baker attended the Nova Scotia Community College campus in Truro. There he studied law and security and “really developed my love for the law field.”
Upon graduation, he took up a security job at Dalhousie University. While there, he applied to attend the Atlantic Police Academy in Summerside, P.E.I. and was accepted.
The course began in January 2020 and he graduated on Oct. 1, 2020. While on course, Baker did his on-the-job training with the Truro Department.
“A couple of people I knew in Truro used to work in Amherst and they always told me how great the department was,” he said. “So, when I saw Amherst had an opening I applied and was lucky enough to get hired.”
Baker said he is looking forward to working with members of the department and the town’s citizens. He is also looking forward to becoming involved in the community through its sports and school programs.
