Chief Daniel C. Parkinson
Cornwall Community Police Service
Chief Dan Parkinson is the chief of police for the Cornwall Community Police Service. Known as someone who cares for the welfare of youth, he is heavily involved in several charitable organizations in the Cornwall area from the Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall/Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry to a local women's shelter.
Parkinson started his career in policing in 1973 with the Mississauga Police Department and continued in policing with Peel Regional Police until December 2003, when he accepted the chief's position in Cornwall.
Chief Parkinson is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, England in Applied Criminology and Police Studies (2002).
He received the Medal of Bravery for his role in assisting with emergency measures undertaken by Peel Regional Police during the Mississauga Train Derailment in 1979. He has been awarded the Police Exemplary Service Medal for 20 and 30 years of meritorious police service. Now in his 39th year of policing, he has been the recipient of the Queen's silver, golden, and diamond jubilee medals. In June 2009, he was inducted into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.
Parkinson served as president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) from 2009 to 2010, and has been a member of the association's executive for the past five years, serving as vice president, 1st vice president and secretary treasurer. He is the former chair of the OACP Crime Prevention Committee. In addition, he is a member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He serves on an expert advisory panel, representing policing in Ontario, on the Justice on Target Project of the Attorney General for Ontario. Parkinson is also a member of the National Crime Prevention Centre's National Joint Management Committee. In January 2007, he was appointed to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and continues to serve with the agency as a commissioner.
He is a member of a number of local boards of directors in the Cornwall area, including: Baldwin House women's shelter; Family Counselling Services of Cornwall; PrevAction; Cornwall Youth Advisory Committee; the Social Development Council of Cornwall; St. Lawrence College Community Council and St. Lawrence College Centre of Excellence Advisory Committee. In 2006, he served as the honorary chair for the United Way Campaign for Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
He has lectured to police and public audiences on leadership, police learning and the application of the science of crime prevention.
Parkinson is an avid supporter of the Upper Canada District School Board Champions for Kids Foundation because he believes that providing youth with the funding they need for extracurricular activities can provide joy in childhood, and build connections among youth to help them make healthy choices and improve their learning.