CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall Police Services Board announced at their meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 5 that Insp. Shawna Spowart would be the next Deputy Chief of Police.
Spowart will be taking over from Deputy Chief Danny Aikman who has been selected as the next Chief of Police following Chief Dan Parkinson’s retirement in November.
Spowart will be the first female Deputy Chief of Police in the history of the Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS). Spowart has 23 years of experience with CCPS, which includes work with the Community Patrol Division, the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Division and the Criminal Investigations Division.
“I’m ready for the opportunity and the time is right,” said Spowart.
Spowart explained that she hoped her new position would inspire more women to become police officers.
“Any time you can look at and see a reflection of yourself that’s exciting,” she said. “There are a lot of strong female leaders in this community.”
Spowart pointed out that she has worked with other female community leaders in Cornwall such as Jeanette Despatie, the CEO of the Cornwall Community Hospital and the heads of many of the non-profit organizations in Cornwall, many of whom are also women.
For her goals as Deputy Chief, Spowart explained that she wanted to see a continued emphasis on traffic enforcement, particularly for distracted and impaired driving. She also said she would push for a greater use of analytics in policing and a better use of data overall.
For the past four-and-a-half years, Spowart has been Inspector of Field Operations responsible for Community Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Crime Prevention and Community Partnerships.
“Shawna Spowart is Cornwall’s first female Deputy Chief and will be part of a leadership team that is inclusive, collaborative and respectful,” said CCPS Board Chair Andre Rivette. “She has the qualities and attributes expected of any senior police leader – integrity; courage; and dedication. She shares our vision of a sustainable, accountable Service that meets the future policing needs of our community and we look forward to working more closely with our new Deputy Chief.”
There will be a retirement party for Chief Dan Parkinson on Nov. 15 at the Best Western where some proceeds will go to support the Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall. Parkinson has been a longtime supporter of the Boys and Girls Club and it is hoped that his retirement party raises at least $10,000 for the organization.
The next day, Nov. 16, there will be a change of command ceremony held at the Nav Centre at 11 a.m. where Danny Aikman and Shawna Spowart will officially take over as Chief and Deputy Chief respectively.
