After more than two decades of being a familiar face around the Yukon, a former RCMP constable has put his experiences into a book.

During his last decade in Whitehorse, former constable Chuck Bertrand would most likely be found in the area's schools, armed with games, puppets and a message about the importance of self-esteem for the students.

Now, in his new book Constable for life: Chronicles of a Canadian Mountie, he shares short, often funny, stories about his time as part of the national police force.

Bertrand joined the force in 1974 when he was 25, after having worked as a high school physics and science teacher.

After a short time working in Ottawa and Fort McMurray, Alta., Bertrand spent 23 years in the territory, working in Carmacks, Carcross and Whitehorse.

As the title of his book suggests, the long-time officer never rose above the rank of constable.

"At one point, I was asked if I wanted to go back to Ottawa because I would have a better chance of advancement,” he said in a recent interview.

"But the truth is I fell in love with the Yukon and didn't want to leave.”

Not that his time in the territory was without challenges — and the occasional embarrassment.

Bertrand's book is full of stories about some of the funny and strange things that can happen to even the most well-intentioned officer.

These include the time the young Bertrand, responding to a call about a fight, knocked down a door he believed was locked when in reality it just needed to be pushed instead of pulled open.

"The door, along with the entire rectangular doorframe, crashed into the house, flattening the two combatants,” he describes.

Or there's the time the constable was called to help at a situation in the Granger subdivision while driving an ancient, unmarked car.

"The car is backfiring as I am coming down the street, people are running faster than I was going,” Bertrand remembers.

The cherry siren placed on top of the car "sounded like something from the Cold War,” he says.

When Bertrand and the old vehicle arrived, three other police cars and every major media outlet were already present.

Stepping out of the car, the old cherry fell off the roof and hit him on the head.

"I never lived that one down,” he says.

Bertrand says he really found his calling when he started working with the area's school children.

He would go into classrooms and teach students that a police officer in uniform was someone to be trusted.

"I enjoyed that so much,” he says. "The smile on their faces when they recognize you walking into a classroom is so great.”

He hopes the book will show "the human side of policing” – officers working in incredibly stressful situations trying to do the best for their community.

In 2002, Chuck and his wife, Annette, retired to the Sunshine Coast in B.C.

Since 2006 he has been a guest lecturer, sharing his stories on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' Alaska Adventures tours.

The book, available at Mac's Fireweed Books, can also be ordered online at www.constableforlife.com.