There’s no question that law enforcement officers are under intense scrutiny. In high-profile Canadian cases like Robert Dziekanski and Willie Pickton, police are blamed by a critical public and the media for everything from excessive use of force to allowing criminals to get away with murder. In Souls Behind the Badge, retired veteran RCMP officer Wayne Ryan describes in graphic detail the emotional trauma the job inflicts on those who serve and protect us. Most often, what the public sees of a case is not nearly the whole story. Using personal accounts and the analyses of a seasoned officer, Ryan explains how police officers make their decisions on the job and what it’s like to cope with the aftermath. Examining numerous issues including sexual harassment, gender bias, and allegations of misconduct, Ryan speaks frankly about the gritty reality encountered by those in a profession that is often glamorized by the entertainment industry. Souls Behind the Badge is both intimate and analytical, leaving the reader to consider the fine line between the public’s expectations and human limitations.

In his 21 years as an RCMP officer, Ryan worked as a patrol officer, plainclothes detective, and hostage negotiator. He retired at the rank of Sergeant in 1996 after partaking in over 500 major crime investigations.

Wayne Ryan's profile page

Suzanne Paschall has written and published everything from annual reports and brochures to newspaper and magazine articles; and from short stories to original music, but this is her first book. She has a long-standing interest in entrepreneurism, having started and run several businesses, including her current company, Paschall Arts, which has for 14 years promoted the use of creative arts in business, and business in the creative arts. An American by birth, she earned a journalism degree from Kansas State University, after which she pursued freelance writing, advertising and public relations work in New York City, moving to Canada in 1983. She worked in public relations, and as PR director at McMaster University and the University of Saskatchewan for a total of 14 years before starting her own business. She has a master's degree in adult education with a specialty in workplace learning from the University of Calgary, and her thesis explored how a group of women entrepreneurs in rural Saskatchewan experimented with a South African model of collaborative individualism to help economically rejuvenate their communities. She has lived half her life in the U.S.A. and half in Canada, but considers herself a citizen of the world. When Suzanne moved to the province 19 years ago, she immediately felt the cultural kinship between Kansas and Saskatchewan. She feels privileged to call the beautiful, wild and wise Canadian prairie soil "home".

Suzanne Paschall's profile page

Natalie Olsen's profile page

Laird Allan's profile page

A critical public, a public that is also prone to second guessing, often fails to see the human side of police work. Ryan takes the reader on an insightful journey, reflecting on the challenging reality of law enforcement.

Police Studies Professor

Ryan's account is balanced and detailed, without avoiding the issues facing modern policing and the RCMP. Ryan challenges the reader to think past the quick and easy criticism of a proud institution that still matters to Canadians. This is a well-informed insider’s view of the RCMP.

Host of John Gormley Live