Thomas Brown is recorded as having been appointed constable pro tem in 1827 making him Guelph's first constable serving this community. The District of Wellington was created in 1837 and Guelph became an administrative Centre of this district in 1840.

The appointed officers for this district were a Sheriff, Treasurer, Surgeon at gaol, Inspector of weights, Gaoler and Chief Constable.

In 1856, Guelph's first Police Station was constructed as part of Guelph's town hall and market house. The building included a police office and lock-up. In 1900, the Police department moved to its own building in the "Annex" building located behind the court house on Carden Street. By this time, Guelph's population was around 12,000 people.

In 1947, Guelph was the first community in Ontario to hold vehicle inspections.

In 1960, the Guelph Police Station on Wyndham Street was built. Guelph's population was up to 38,000 people.

Since then, the city has grown to approximately 130,000 people and our service now has 196 officers and 91 full time civilian members.

The Guelph Police Service is the 15th largest municipal police service in Ontario with a net operating budget of $38 million. The Service is built on the values of Pride, Service and Trust

Fallen Heroes

Constable Jennifer Kovach

portrait of Constable Jennifer KovachAt approximately 12:30 a.m. on March 14, 2013, Constable Jennifer Kovach was responding to a request for assistance from another officer who had made a traffic stop. Unfortunately, Cst. Kovach's cruiser was involved in a collision with a city bus and she was rushed to Guelph General Hospital where, tragically, she succumbed to her injuries.

Constable Walter E. MacAulay

portrait of Constable Walter E. MacAuleyOn April 5, 1964, while off duty and downtown, Constable MacAulay observed a fellow officer attempting to arrest a motorist. Constable MacAulay jumped into action and assisted in attempting to apprehend the motorist. A struggle ensued and the motorist drove off, with Constable MacAulay at the door. Constable MacAulay was caught on the vehicle momentarily, while it was fleeing. Unfortunately, Constable MacAulay was seriously injured in this incident and was rushed to hospital. Constable MacAulay succumbed to those injuries the next day.

Constable John Teevens

Constable John Teevens dressed in his uniform

At approximately 9 p.m. on December 9th, 1939, Constable Teevens was standing on a traffic island directing traffic when he was struck by a drunk driver. He later passed away as a result of his injuries on January 27th 1945 at the age of 52. 

 

Constable William H. Holloway

portrait of Constable William H. HollowayOn May 2, 1922 Constable Holloway and Constable Brash were on bicycle patrol, after having their lunch at the police station. They observed a car travelling on Eramosa Road at a high rate of speed. Both officers stood in the roadway, waving their arms to signal the driver to stop. The vehicle failed to stop and Constable Holloway was struck. Constable Holloway was taken to hospital immediately, where he succumbed to his injuries.
History of Cruisers

1983 – Ford LTD Crown Victoria

1983 Ford LTD Crown Victoria

Early 1990s – Chevrolet Caprice, with O.P.P. Cruiser and helicopter

two police cruisers and helicopter from early 1990s

1994 – Chevrolet Impala

1994 Chevrole Impala Cruiser

2000 – Chevrolet Impala

2000 Chevrolet Impala cruiser

2007 – Ford Crown Victoria

2007 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser

Until 2021 – Ford Interceptor

current Ford Interceptor cruiser

Present Day - Hybrid Ford Interceptor

Police vehicle

History of our K9 Unit

 Constable Guest & PSD Nero (1998-2004)

Breed:

Purebred German Shepherd from Czechoslovakiapolice service dog Nero

Career overview:

March 1998 to around April 2004;

Discipline:

Nero was trained as a general purpose patrol dog and trained in obedience, agility, searching for persons and property, and apprehensions. Nero and Sgt. Guest were involved in 733 K9 calls for service and were involved in the arrest of 213 people

Favourite part of the job:

Nero's favourite activity was agility - jumping and climbing.

Fun Fact:

He was the Guelph Police Service's 1st dog

Nero passed away in October 2007

Constable Gordon & PSD Gunner (1999-2005)

Breed:

Purebred German Shepherd 

Constable Gordon and police service dog Gunner

Career overview:

1999 to 2005

Discipline:

Gunner was trained as a general purpose patrol dog and trained in obedience, agility, searching for persons and property, and apprehensions.

Gunner passed away in 2007. 

Constable McMichan & PSD Magnum (2004-2011)

Breed:

Purebred German Shepherd from Fenwick, Ontario, Canada 

Contable McMichan and police service dog Magnum

Career Overview:

September 20th 2004 - October 2011

Discipline:

Magnum trained as a General Purpose Patrol Dog with the Toronto Police Service in September 2004.  His training included obedience, agility, searching for persons and property and apprehensions.  In 2008 Magnum was trained and certified in Narcotics. In total Magnum and Cst. McMichan were involved in 552 K9 calls for Service and were involved in the arrest of 184 people. Magnum and Cst. McMichan received an award from their K9 peers in for recognition of outstanding performance in the detection and prevention of crime when they captured a total of nine people one winter night.  Six of those people were involved in a gun point robbery and then captured by Magnum.  

Favorite part of the Job:

Magnum lived and breathed working for finding the bad guy! He thoroughly enjoyed every part of his K9 career.

Fun Fact:

In 2008 Magnum attended a Police Canine Competition with several K9 teams.  Magnum's nose proved to be number one when he brought home a first place trophy in the tracking competition.

Magnum retired in October 2011.  PSD Magnum passed away in 2017

Constable McConnell and PSD Major (2005-2009)

Breed:

Purebread German Sheperd from  Hungary. 

Constable McConnell and police service dog Major

Career:

Major was partnered with Cst.McConnell in September 2005, and they worked together until May 2009

Discipline:

Major began his career as a general purpose service dog certified in tracking, area and building searches, evidence recovery, suspect apprehension, obedience and handler protection. Major was certified in Narcotics detection in 2007 and became the first operation Narcotics detection team for the Guelph Police Service.In 2008, Cst. McConnell was certified as a K9 Trainer in the areas of General Utility and Narcotics‎ Detection by the National Association of Professional K9 Handlers.

 

Constable Moulton and PSD Nitro (2007-2015)

Breed:

German ShepardConstable Moulton and police service dog Nitro

Career:

2007 - 2015

Discipline:

Nitro's initial training included tracking, agility, obedience and aggression. He was also the only canine trained in explosives and firearms in this region. During his career on the road he was involved in many arrests and successful searches. He was also utilized by other services for searches as well as major operations including the G20. During Nitro's career he was regularly a winner or top finisher in competitions in Canada and the United States.

The public loved Nitro as well. He was a star attraction at various police demonstrations at events throughout the city. His ability to be both tactically functional and community friendly made him indispensable.

PSD Nitro was set to retire in 2016, however he was humanely euthanized due to a serious medical issue. He is the first Guelph PSD to die while still in active service

Constable Neumann & PSD Trooper (2009-2011)

Breed:

Purebred German Shepherd from Czechoslovakia, imported to a kennel in Pennsylvania USA, purchased by Guelph Police.

Constable Neumann and police service dog Trooper

Career:

April 2009 to July 2011 where he was involved in many K9 calls for service, involved in numerous arrests, tracking suspects and assisted on high risk calls with the Tactical unit

Discipline:

Trooper was trained as General Purpose Patrol Dog. His training included obedience, agility, searching for persons and property and apprehensions. Trooper was also Detector Trained, this mean he could detect firearms and ammunition as well as paper currency. 

Favourite part of the job:  

Driving around on patrol in Canine cruiser with his handler

Trooper retired early due to medical condition (diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia). He passed away in 2018

Constable Crowe & PSD Charger (2011-2020)

Breed:

German Shepherd.  Imported from Germany. 

Constable Crowe and police service dog Charger

Career:

July 2011-September 2020. Charger and Crowe were paired together in 2011, and right from the beginning Crowe knew they were going to be a great team! Together they have located dozens of people over the course of their 4 ½ years together. Charger and Crowe have also competed at dog competitions consistently placing in the top 10 or better. They have also competed in the annual iron dog race and won first place in their division twice, as well as a 3rd place finish.

Discipline:

Charger is a General Service Dog which means he is certified in: Tracking, Building Searches, Area Searches, Article Searches, Agility, Obedience, as well as Aggression. Further to that Charger is certified in the detection of 8 different narcotics, firearms, and Canadian and American currency.

Favourite part of the job:

Crowe's favorite part of the job is finding a suspect after a track. It makes him feel proud of the dog for being successful and it validates all the longs hours they spend training. It also strengthens the bond between them which is very strong.

Fun Fact:

As a young dog Charger loved the water but was a weak swimmer. Until one day at a cottage, a Labrador retriever was watching Charger flounder in the water and began barking at him as if he were a swimming coach... well sure enough Charger began to kick with his back legs and is now an excellent swimmer!

Constable MacArthur & PSD General (2012-2020)

Breed:

German Shepherd from GermanyConstable MacArthur and police service dog General

Career:

July 2012- February 2020

Cst. MacArthur joined the Guelph Police Service in 2008. In 2012 he joined the Canine Unit and was partnered with K9 General. General is trained in the detection of human scent, firearms and narcotics. Over the years the team has won numerous awards in relation to operational deployments; the most notible, in 2016 the team won Utility Team of the Year, beating out over 900 teams across North America.

Favorite part of the job: 

Tracking suspects.   

Constable Moulton & PSD Titan (2020-Present)

Breed:

Constable Moulton and PSD Titan

German Shepard 

Career:

August 2020-Present

Discipline: 

Titan is a General Service Dog which means he is certified in: searching for missing persons and wanted individuals, tracking, article searches for evidence. Titan is also certified in the detection of narcotics, firearms and shell casings. 

Favourite part of the job:

Anything and everything related to detection work. 

Fun Fact:

Titan loves his kennel in the cruiser and looking out the front windshield when him and his partner are driving around.

Constable Hall & PSD Jett (2020-2021)

Breed:

Belgian Malinois

Career:

August 2020-September 2021

Discipline: 

Jett was a General Service Dog which means he was certified in: detecting human scent, narcotics, firearms and ammunition. He sadly succumbed to several serious health issues and passed away in September, 2021.

Favourite part of the job:

Jett loved doing presentations for kids in schools across Guelph and at community events. He will be sadly missed by his colleagues and the wider community.

 

History of Police Chiefs

Chief Frederick Randall served as Chief of Police for 38 years from 1881-1919.

Former Chief of Police Fredrick Randall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chief Alex Rae served as Chief of Police from 1919-1936.

Former Chief of Police Alex Rae

Chief Harold Nash served as Chief from 1936 – 1949.

Note: He joined the Force at 22 years and was promoted to Sergeant at 26 years, which was the youngest in Canada at the time.

Former Chief of Police Harold Nash

Chief Edward Lamb served as Chief from 1949-1964.

Former Chief of Police Edward Lamb

Chief Robert Gill served as Chief from 1964-1965. Unfortunately, he passed away from a heart attack.

Former Chief of Police Robert Gill

Chief Robert McCarron served as Chief from 1965-1980.

Former Chief of Police Robert McCarron

Chief Lorne Halls served as Chief between 1980-1985

Former Chief of Police Lorne Halls

Chief William “Bill” McCart served as Chief between 1985-1988

Former Chief of Police Willian "Bill" McCart

Chief Richard Stewart served as Chief between 1988-1994.

Former Chief of Police Richard Stewart

Chief Lenna Bradburn served as Chief between 1994-2000. She was the first municipal female Police Chief in Canada.

Former Chief of Police Lenna Bradburn

Chief Rob Davis served as Chief between 2000-2012.

Former Chief of Police Rob Davis

Chief Bryan Larkin served as Chief between 2012-2014.

Photo of former Chief of Police Bryan Larkin

Chief Jeff DeRuyter served as Chief between 2015-2019.

Former Chief of Police Jeff DeRuyter

Chief Gord Cobey is the current Chief serving from 2019-present.

Chief Gord Cobey

History of Flashes

Photo Gallery: GPS Flashes will appear here on the public site.

Photos from the Past

Photo Gallery: Photos from the Past will appear here on the public site.