The Smiths Falls Police is the municipal police service for the city of Smiths Falls, Ontario.[1] It was established by the Smiths Falls Village Council on February 9, 1881. Prior to then, only part time constables were responsible for the safety of the town. Today, the Smiths Falls Police is made up of just under 40 members serving an area of 9.66 square kilometers and 9,254 (2021 Census) people.
The history of the Smiths Falls Police Service (SFPS) began over 150 years ago when John B. Drew was appointed as a part time constable in the Smiths Falls Village. On February 9, 1881 Chief Drew was hired as the first chief of police thereby birthing the SFPS. For the next 29 years, the police service was run by one person at the time, the chief of police. It wasn't until 1910 that a second full time officer was on-boarded. This new, 2 man team continued throughout the 1920s. The SFPS growth was very slow due to the Smiths Falls Village Council refusing to increase the manpower. By the late 1940s, the force was still under 10 officers.
In 1981 a civilian dispatcher team was introduced into the service. With a growing team, and aging infrastructure, a new police station was built in 1984. By 1990 the service had reached 17 officers and 6 civilian employees. Which quickly grew to 25 officers and 10 civilian employees by the mid 2010s.
As of the end of 2022, the Smiths Falls Police Service is still constituted of 25 officers and 10 civilian employees.[3]
Fleet
The Smiths Falls Police Service fleet consists of eight vehicles. It includes four Ford Interceptor Utility, a police ready variant of the Ford Explorer, two Ford Taurus, a Dodge Charger, and a Dodge Durango. Of the eight vehicles currently in service, 3 are unmarked cruisers. The SFPS uses one of the Ford Taurus, and the Dodge Durango for their Criminal Investigations Bureau branch. One vehicle is used for community services, and the other 5 vehicles are used for general patrol.[3]
Chief John B. Drew, was the first chief of police of the Smiths Falls Police Service, serving the community from the 1860s to 1882.1881–1882: John B. Drew (First Chief)
1882–1883: William McGillivray
1883–1884: James Gilroy
1884–1887: Robert Reyolds
1888–1902: Robert McGowan
1890–1890: Alexander Vernon (only served 3 months)
1902–1906: Miner W. Sweet
1906–1910: Charles Edwards
1911–1912: William Sweet
1912–1914: George Phillips
1914–1915: George Mitchell
1915–1933: George Phillips
1933–1936: Graham Bromley
1937-1943: John Lees
1944–1947: George Foss
1947–1975: Reginal Wride (with the longest service in SFPS history, Wride is also attributed to having convinced the Hershey team to build a factory in Smiths Falls, significantly boosting their economy for over 4 decades[5])
1975–1990: William Stocker
1990–2012: Larry Hardy
2012–2016: Robert Dowdall
2016–2023: Mark MacGillivray
2024–Present: Jodi Empey (Acting since Dec. 2023: sworn in on Monday, July 8th, 2024) [6]
Ranks and insignia
The rank insignia worn by the Smiths Falls Police is similar to the one used in other police services throughout Canada.
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