Photo credit: Darren Jacknisky, Bluefish Studios
In December 2013, as a member of the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) for almost two decades, including seven years as a sergeant, Jason Harley knew the time had come to make a career move he had wanted to make for a long time. As he himself says, some dreams never die.
Harley recently completed law school, thriving during his time as a student. In fact, he was the 2017 recipient of the first Law Society of Alberta (LSA) President's Award, given to a graduating student based on the student's commitment to professionalism and ethics, leadership and academic standing.
"It is very humbling and I'm not sure all of it is deserved," he said.
Today, Harley is an articling student at Brownlee LLP, comfortably settling into a job that doesn't require him to don a bulletproof vest. Not that he isn't thankful for the protective equipment that came with his job in policing. Two years ago, a bulletproof vest saved his life.
On June 8, 2015, Harley and Constable Daniel Woodall were attempting to execute a warrant for the arrest of Norman Raddatz, when Raddatz began firing shots through the door of his home. Harley was shot in the back and Woodall died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
Just one month after the shooting, Harley returned to work and would periodically drive by the home where the incident occurred, trying to find closure but eventually realizing he just wasn't going to get it.
"I still have a lot of questions I'll never get answered. I was very mindful that this was going to be hard for a lot of people and that I needed to be responsible with my actions. I wanted my colleagues to see that I'm OK," he said.
The shooting brought Harley renewed gratitude for all he has.
"The thoughts I had were thoughts of time wasted earlier in life, opportunities wasted and a realization that I should stop doing that," he said.
It's safe to say that everyone who knows Harley was feeling gratitude that day, including Olivia Miciak, a constable who is now with the EPS's School Resource Unit. At the time of the shooting, Harley was Miciak's patrol sergeant. As a boss, Harley had a no-nonsense approach, she recalled, and a strong belief in fairness. She said traditionally only senior officers are selected to take specialized training courses, but Harley made sure everyone had an opportunity.
"You could always approach him, and he gave you a real answer," she said. "He looked out for our career and professional development. We always joked that he was ten steps ahead of us, like a chess game."
On the one-year anniversary of the shooting, Harley was featured in a story that aired on CTV Edmonton. Not one to court any sort of attention, he went out of his comfort zone to do something he said he felt he owed to the public.
Conducting interviews and being the centre of a media frenzy was and remains new territory for Harley, who still today faces questions from strangers who know parts of his story but want to know more. What might someone be surprised to learn about Harley? At home and off the clock, he said, he is impatient, private, protective of friends and family, loud and always running late.
"You get to be a different person when you're around friends and family you're close with," he said.
He also has a great sense of humour, according to his younger brother Ryan. Ryan-a fire inspector and fire investigator for the City of Spruce Grove-said that despite their six-year age difference, the two were very close growing up. He recalled one particularly memorable April Fool's Day when the pair switched cereal boxes, salt and pepper shakers and sugar and salt containers.
"It backfired, because after a while we couldn't remember what we switched," he said with a laugh. "He was just always a fun brother to be around."
Ryan wasn't surprised to see Jason succeed at law school, but like many, still finds it hard to understand how he maintained such a full schedule. Though most every student would agree their lives are busy, there are few that can relate to the agenda Harley faced on a daily basis.
During his time as a student, Harley continued to work full time with the EPS, balancing 12-hour shifts with his course work. When he worked the night shift, he would go to school all day and return to work in the evening. He also managed to squeeze in coaching his son in baseball and hockey.
"It was a long three years and it was very difficult. There were times I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the end," he said.
Schedule differences aside, Harley described having a different type of relationship with students.
"I was closer in age to my professors than my classmates, so we all got the same jokes," he recalled with a laugh.
Harley's tireless work ethic and positive attitude continue to gain him the attention of his colleagues and peers. Ryan Ewasiuk-a partner at Brownlee LPP and the chair of the firm's student committee-is one of those colleagues. Harley and Ewasiuk first met a couple of years ago when their sons played on the same hockey team.
"For the first while I didn't know he was in law school, and the more I got to know him, the more impressed I was," he said.
When a spot unexpectedly became available for an articling position, Ewasiuk said he was happy to offer Harley the job.
"One thing I really like about him is that he's very serious about wanting to become a good lawyer," he said.
Harley is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity. He hopes to stay with Brownlee LLP after the articling period has ended, and he also resigned from the EPS.
Not wanting any special recognition, he told his colleagues and human resources of his plan just 24 hours before his last day.
"It's a good time to move on. I was very happy with my time with the police service, but it seems like now would be a good time for a fresh start," he said.
Today, Harley's office at Brownlee LLP offers a spectacular view of downtown Edmonton, a city he has called home since he was 13. He likes the view, but won't get too comfortable with it. Brownlee LLP rotates its articling students every four months to different areas of practice, meaning he will be moving to a new office, with a different view, shortly. That rotation is perhaps symbolic of Jason's life to this point: continually evolving, never quite clear where it might lead next.