Monday 26 June 2023
Ottawa Police Services Board Appoints Patricia Ferguson and Paul Burnett as Permanent Deputy Chiefs
Ottawa—The Ottawa Police Services Board is pleased to announce that Patricia (Trish) Ferguson and Paul Burnett have been appointed as permanent Deputy Chiefs (DC) of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). Both DC Ferguson and DC Burnett were in acting deputy roles prior to their appointment.
| Paul Burnett has been selected as Deputy Chief and will continue to oversee the Community Policing Directorate, which includes the Frontline Policing Directorate, Specialized Policing Directorate, and the Neighbourhood Policing Directorate. This Command provides proactive and reactive public safety services in partnership with key stakeholders and the many diverse communities in Ottawa. Deputy Chief Burnett began his policing career with the Gloucester Police in 1992 and, over the course of his 31 years of service in the Ottawa area, has fulfilled a variety of roles and worked in a variety of units throughout the organization including the Traffic Section, the Collision Reconstruction Unit, the Professional Development Centre as a Use of Force Instructor, and the Tactical Team as both an operator and the Unit Commander. In addition, he has worked as an investigator in the Professional Standard Unit and supervised the Community Policing Centre’s in the city’s east end. Deputy Chief Burnett was a member of the 2008 Olympic Security Team that provided personal security as the Olympic flame made its way across the province. He also attended the Vancouver Olympics and was deployed as a Bomb Technician. He spent a year Instructing at the Jordan International Police Training Center (JIPTC) in Amman, Jordan where he was the lead instructor in charge of the Improvised Explosive Device Training Centre responsible for training and was awarded the JIPTC medal. DC Burnett is a Member of the Order of Merit for the Police Forces, the Order of Merit of the Police Forces is a fellowship of honor based on the highest qualities of citizenship, service to Canada, to the police community and to humanity at large. In his previous role as a Duty Inspector, Deputy Chief Burnett oversaw Frontline Operations and was responsible for providing Incident Command for major events and high-risk operations, including demonstrations, major crime scenes, SIU investigations, tactical and search and rescue operations. He led the design, development and implementation of the organizations first multi- year Strategic Equity Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. He fostered collaborative leadership across the organization and developed a strategy to build capacity in relation to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Deputy Chief Burnett earned his Bachelor of Social Science degree from Ottawa University and is currently an Instructor at the Canadian Police College on the Critical Incident Commanders course. “I am both honored and proud to be selected as the Deputy Chief of the Ottawa Police Service. The opportunity to continue to work with the amazing sworn and civilian members of this police service is incredibly exciting. It is my goal to continue to serve the citizens of Ottawa by providing a community centered policing approach that focuses on building safe and healthy communities,” stated Deputy Chief Burnett. |