John Horner, 12, of Sioux City, Iowa, for his question:
WHEN WAS THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE ORGANIZED?
More than 16,000 people are now members of the Royal Mounted Police. In order to join, a person must be a Canadian citizen who is at least 19 years old and has at least an eleventh grade education. Once the entrance tests are passed, a member of the force will receive a six month training period at Regina, Saskatchewan. Graduates are called constables.
When Canada acquired the vast and unsettled Canadian Northwest Territory in 1870, problems arose as soon as settlers started to move in. Knowing there must be some type of protection for the new residents, the Canadian parliament created a mounted police force on May 23, 1873. It soon came to be known as the North West Mounted Police.
Posts were established between Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains, and all came to respect the officers who wore scarlet jackets and brought order to the plains.
During the 1885 Northwest Rebellion in what is now central Saskatchewan, the mounted officers helped the militia stop an uprising and later aided settlers who wanted to build homes on the prairies. They also maintained order during the Klondike gold rush in the late 1850s.
In 1904 King Edward VII made them the Royal North West Mounted Police, and in 1920 they merged with the Dominion Police and became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. With the last title they also took over federal law enforcement.
In the early days the force used only horses to cover patrol assignments. Now, however, about 4,500 land motor vehicles, including cars, trucks and snowmobiles, are assigned to the force. Police dogs and horses are still used, but primarily for ceremonial purposes.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police now also has air and marine divisions. The marine division operates on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. More than 35 boats and ships are employed. The air division has aircraft and stations located at strategic points across Canada.
Today's working uniform for the mounted policeman includes cloth cap, brown jacket, brown leather gloves and dark blue trousers with a broad yellow stripe. At special ceremonies they still wear scarlet dress tunics, wide¬brimmed hats and breeches tucked into high boots.
In 1974 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police changed entrance requirements that made it possible for women to join the force.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police enforces federal law throughout Canada. It is the only police force working the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territory. Members of the force serve as provincial police in all provinces except Ontario and Quebec. These two provinces have their own police forces. Members of the force also provide police protection in a number of municipalities.