Ernie Louttit
Ernie Louttit was born in Northern Ontario and is a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation. He is a retired soldier and police officer, and has written two books, Indian Ernie: Perspectives on Leadershipand Policing and More Indian Ernie, Insights from the Streets. He resides in Saskatchewan.
Books (3)
Synopsis:
When he began his career with the Saskatoon Police in 1987, Ernie Louttit was only the city’s third native police officer. Indian Ernie, as he came to be known on the streets, details an era of challenge, prejudice, and also tremendous change in urban policing. Drawing from his childhood, army career, and service as a veteran patrol officer, Louttit shares stories of criminals and victims, the night shift, avoiding politics, but most of all, the realities of the marginalized and disenfranchised.
Louttit spent his entire career (including as a Sergeant) patrolling the streets of Saskatoon’s west side, an area until recently beset by poverty, and terrible social conditions. Here, he struggled to bring justice to communities where the lines between criminal and victim often blurred. Though Louttit’s story is characterized by conflict, danger, and violence, he argues that empathy and love for the community you serve are the greatest tools in any officer’s hands, especially when policing society’s less fortunate.
While his story is based on his experiences in Saskatoon, it is equally applicable to the challenges faced in any community where marginalized people live. It is an exciting, passionate, easy to read, and highly accessible story aimed at a broad audience.
Synopsis:
Pine Bugs and .303s is the story of two families in Northwestern Ontario. Elmer Wabason, a Cree man and Gilbert Bertrand, a white man grew up three miles apart. Until World War II they had never met. The town and the reserve are separated by the newly named Trans-Canada Highway. A fast-paced story uncovering the bond of soldiers, the strength of women, the impact of racism and resilience. The families endure disaster, deceit and corruption. They achieve many firsts even though the odds seem stacked against them at almost every turn. The search for justice takes them to a pivotal trial in 1965.
Reviews
"Louttit’s taut narrative, and plot twists, masterfully build outrage and tension for the reader—like a .303 in the hands of a nefarious foe, or a pine bug crawling up one’s neck. A great read you won’t want to put down." - David Giuliano, author of The Undertaking of Billy Buffone
Additional Information
322 pages | 5.00" x 8.50" | Paperback
Synopsis:
The cop who blew the whistle on Saskatoon’s notorious “Starlight Tours,” Ernie Louttit is the bestselling author of two previous “Indian Ernie” books. He demonstrates in this latest title that being a leader means sticking to your convictions and sometimes standing up to the powers that be. One of the first Indigenous officers hired by the Saskatoon Police, he was an outsider who became an insider, with a difference. A former military man with a passion for the law, he was tough on the beat, but was also a role model for kids on the streets.
Reviews
"I read it in one sitting and it left me wanting more" - John Lagimodiere, editor and publisher of Eagle Feather News
“The author fearlessly takes on some of the most problematic public issues of the day…and confronts them with the objective practicality of a thoughtful, observant foreigner.” —Les Macpherson, former editor and columnist with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Additional Information
192 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"
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