Greater Sudbury Police Service Chief Ian Davidson has recently been sworn in as the 57th president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
Chief Davidson was sworn in on June 18 at the conclusion of the association's 2008 annual conference in Niagara Falls. He takes over from Chief William Blair of the Toronto Police Service.
"The Ontario government looks forward to working with President Davidson,” said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci. “Chief Davidson is a thoughtful and well-respected leader. He is a strong voice for First Nations police services and northern policing. I also want to thank Chief Blair for his outstanding service."
A 30-year police veteran, Davidson joined the Greater Sudbury Police Service in 1999, and has been an effective voice for northern policing, improving race relations and First Nations police services. In May 2007, he was appointed to the Order of Merit of the Police Forces by the Governor General.
“This is a very exciting time in policing and I look forward to working with my colleagues, government and communities in tackling a number of priorities,” said Davidson. “Top on my agenda is to gain the commitment of government to address the issue of court security services and the associated costs that have escalated exponentially since 1992 when court security responsibilities were transferred to municipal police services.”
“Additionally, I am committed to working with Minister Bartolucci and Ontario’s Attorney General Chris Bentley in developing strategies to more effectively manage the criminal justice system,” he continued. “A number of new initiatives have recently been announced that will start to take effect in the near future and will lead to greater efficiencies.”
Davidson is the first president of the association from Sudbury since Chief Rick J. Zanibbi, 1990-91.
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police represents Ontario's chiefs of police and is committed to excellence in police leadership and working together for safer communities. It was formed in 1933 as the Police Association of Ontario, and has over 1,000 members.
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police also officially announced that Sudbury will serve as next year’s Conference Host from June 21 to June 24, 2009.
