The Kingston Police Service will soon be looking for a new deputy chief, after the current title holder, Chris Scott, announced his retirement.
On Friday, Scott told Global News Feb. 26 was his last day.
Scott was appointed Deputy Chief in 2018, and is a veteran cop serving for 35 years. He worked in Toronto and Ottawa, before joining Kingston police 20 years ago. In that timeframe, Scott was involved in almost every aspect of policing — community programs, drug and intel among them.
“I just had an opportunity to work with amazing people,” says Scott.
A major career highlight for the deputy is his involvement in solving the notorious Shafia mass murder case, where three sisters — Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti Shafia, 13 — were discovered with their polygamist father’s first wife, Rona Amir Mohammad, 50, in a car in the Rideau Canal back in June 2009. The second wife, Tooba Yahya, husband Mohammad Shafia and their son, Hamed, were each found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, in 2012.
“Some closure for the family members who travelled great distances to testify and give voice to these girls, and I’m very proud of the investigative team and the Kingston police,” says Scott, as he remembers the chilling case. He continues to express that the Shafia case was a tragic, career-defining moment for him.
“The members from the Kingston police that were on that, I can tell you I hold them in so high regard because they worked 18-20 hours a day for like 30 straight days to make that happen. You know, it’s such an honour to be a part of that,” says the deputy.
Throughout his three decades of police experience, another memory that stood out to the deputy was when he almost had to help deliver a baby in a car in Ottawa during the 1998 ice storm that ravaged through Eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec. The total precipitation from the storms was 80 mm or more.
”It was a scary moment for me, probably more scary for that poor mother, looking at this scared young cop,” says Scott.
The Deputy Chief might be retiring, but he won’t be still for long.
“I’m looking for new challenges, I’ve always tried to stay engaged in the community,” says Scott.
He spent time as a trainer with the Kingston Area Minor Hockey Association and sat on the board of the directors with Big Brothers, Big Sisters Kingston, a mentorship program for children. He remains open to new possibilities.