Chris Lewis

6 / OGRA MILESTONES CONFERENCE 2014

CHRIS LEWIS became Commissioner of the

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on August 1, 2010

assuming leadership of one of North America’s

largest deployed police services. Commissioner

Lewis was reappointed for a three year term by

Order in Council in May 2013. Commissioner Lewis

oversees front-line policing, traffi c and marine

operations, emergency response and specialized

and multi-jurisdictional investigations throughout

the Province of Ontario.

Since joining the OPP in 1978, Commissioner Lewis

has amassed a wealth of operational policing

experience, particularly in front-line service

delivery, various investigative disciplines and tactical

operations. From 2007 until his appointment as

Commissioner, Lewis served as Deputy

Commissioner of Field Operations.

Lewis’ cross-command experience is wide and

varied, including tenures as Commander of the

Investigation Bureau; the Information Technologies

Bureau; and the Emergency Management Bureau;

as well as the Director of the Criminal Intelligence

Service Ontario at the then Ministry of Solicitor

General. He was Regional Commander of the

OPP’s East Region; served as Director of the

Criminal Investigation Branch and worked with the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police to establish and

lead the Cornwall Regional Task Force.

Commissioner Lewis, Commander of the Order of

Merit of the Police Forces, the fi rst Canadian police

leader to be elevated through all three ranks, is also

a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy Program.

He is a strong advocate for community-based

initiatives, including the United Way and the

Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run for the

Special Olympics.

OGRA’s Thomas Barakat sat down with Ontario

Provincial Police (OPP) Commissioner Chris Lewis

to discuss the new OPP billing model, the

sustainability of policing in Ontario, and leadership.

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis

OGRA MILESTONES CONFERENCE 2014 / 7

interactionOn a cold winter morning, when I learned that I would

be interviewing OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis on behalf

of Milestones, my fi rst thought was if I’m interviewing the

highest upholder of the law in Ontario that I’d better prepare

for a serious discussion and be incredibly cautious of what I

ask. When I think of police offi cers, my mind instantly shifts

to tough cops from Hollywood crime dramas: Danny Glover

in Lethal Weapon; Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for

Old Men; or pretty much any movie starring Steven Seagal.

However, as I should have known, Hollywood crime dramas

do an incredibly poor job of portraying the reality of policing,

especially in Ontario.

Unlike some Hollywood melodrama, being head of the

Ontario’s largest police force is fraught with altogether

diff erent challenges. Th e top issues that Commissioner Lewis

wanted to discuss were the proposed new OPP billing model

for municipalities and the sustainability of policing in Ontario.

To my knowledge, there are no Hollywood crime dramas on

such topics (Could you imagine? I don’t recall Dirty Harry

Callaghan pressing the nuances of municipal fi scal capacity).

Upon exchanging pleasantries with Commissioner Lewis

that morning I could sense by the tone of his voice that this

was going to be an interesting interview — and that he was

in fact a very pleasant and humble man. A diff erent type

of police offi cer came to mind, one that exudes those

characteristics. A modern day Andy Griffi th perhaps, minus

the Mayberry-ness.

OPP Billing ModelMy opening question to the Commissioner was regarding the

proposed new OPP billing formula. I mentioned that there

was a considerable amount of angst amongst municipalities

regarding this formula and I wanted to know why he believed

it worked. Commissioner Lewis began by explaining to me

that the new billing formula isn’t completely cemented yet

as consultations continue to be held around the province.

However, the reason why a new formula was developed in

the fi rst place was because municipalities themselves had

asked for it. Th e most common complaints were that the

current formula was diffi cult to understand and that it was

fundamentally unfair. In essence, the new formula is the

Ontario Provincial Police and Ontario Ministry of Finance’s

response to these complaints.

However, Commissioner Lewis acknowledged that with the

new formula there will be winners and losers — as with the

current formula. Some municipalities will pay more and

some will pay less. He went on to provide an example of such

outcomes with the current formula by explaining that in some

parts of the province people who live across the street from

each other pay substantially diff erent prices for policing. Th is

is because the current funding model is based predominantly

on calls for service or in other words, call volume. Th e new

formula moves away from that model as all municipalities

will pay to receive twenty-four hour OPP policing in their

municipalities. However, those that receive a higher number

of calls will pay a higher fee. Th e Commissioner then reassured

me that he is happy to answer any questions regarding this

topic at the 2014 ROMA/OGRA Combined Conference, as he

is attending to deliver a speech.

Sustainability of Policing in OntarioTh e conversation then shifted from the OPP billing formula to

the overall sustainability of policing in Ontario. Commissioner

Lewis was very passionate about this subject and had much

to say. He began by giving me a quick history lesson on

police forces within the province. In the 1960s, the number

of police forces in Ontario numbered around 200. By 2014,

this number was closer to 50. In this time, many police forces

amalgamated to create larger municipal forces while others

amalgamated their forces with the OPP.

Commissioner Lewis believes that the amalgamation of police

forces is not a trend of the past. In fact, he sees it continuing

until there are only about 25-30 police forces in Ontario. He

explains that it is much more cost eff ective when there are

fewer police forces. An economy of scale allows a larger force

to keep costs down. For example, maintaining an independent

call centre costs much more than utilizing one already run

by the OPP. Firefi ghters are behind police services in this

regard, explains Lewis, as they have not amalgamated services

to the degree that police forces have. Th e main obstacle to

amalgamating more police forces is politics — mayors don’t

want to lose control over policing in their jurisdictions.

BY THOMAS BARAKAT

SUSTAINABILITYNUMBER OF POLICE FORCES IN ONTARIO

1960s . . . . . . . . . 200

2014. . . . . . . . . . 50

Future. . . . . . . . . 25–30

Amalgamation and economy of scale allows a

larger force to keep costs down


However, he believes that even this obstacle will disappear as

he plainly states, “Municipalities simply can’t aff ord to run all

these policing services.”

One explanation for the rising cost of policing in Ontario and

in Canada as a whole is police salaries. Commissioner Lewis

argues that police offi cers should be well paid for what they

do otherwise they will choose a diff erent career. “Policing

needs to attract the right people, the good people, the talented

people, and their salaries should refl ect that.” However, he

does defend the salaries of OPP offi cers — especially when

compared to other forces across Ontario. Th e notion that OPP

services cost more is false according to Lewis. “Some police

forces in Ontario get paid more than the OPP even though

the OPP covers a much larger geographic area than most

other forces, patrols highways, and provides security for the

Premier.” Combine the large geographic area with sparsely

populated rural and northern communities and it is no

wonder costs are diffi cult to tame. Lewis takes pride in the fact

that the OPP respond to any call — even for a stolen bike —

when other police forces won’t even respond to a stolen car.

Th e dilemma facing the OPP is how to pay for policing

without sacrifi cing the high-quality service they now deliver.

“You need to fi nd effi ciencies,” says Lewis. Political fi gures

regularly utilize this statement, and when pressed, most

off er generalities. However, as Commissioner Lewis is not in

politics (nor does he plan to enter; more on this below), he

was able to off er substance on this issue. One option the OPP

is currently investigating is allowing civilian employees — who

are normally compensated less than trained offi cers — to

perform some tasks that are currently assigned to offi cers.

For example, 200 data-entry personnel have been hired over

the past few years. Not only is this more cost effi cient, but it

helps keep trained offi cers on the streets. He added that using

injured offi cers to perform some of these tasks helps both the

police force and the injured offi cers themselves when they are

in times of need. Lewis also questioned how private security

companies could play a role, but did not delve deep into this.

An eff ective cost-saving tool that many look past is crime

prevention. “Prevention is cheaper than prosecution,” states

Commissioner Lewis. He explains that the OPP is focused on

preventing crimes before they occur by using analytical tools

that can better predict where certain types of crime occur and

at what times of the day. A common misperception is that

crime is the only strain on police services. Many forget that

accidents occur daily, and police are almost always called to

the scene. Lewis believes that educating the public is one way

to help reduce accidents. Preventing these types of incidents

also prevents police offi cers from being called in, which in turn

helps lower costs.

LeadershipCommissioner Lewis’ impressive resume includes over

35 years of service with the OPP. Prior to becoming top cop,

he held numerous leadership positions within the force. I

decided to ask him what he believed was the key to successful

leadership. As it turns out, he is currently in the process

of writing a book on leadership entitled Never Stop on a

Hill which he claims is his labour of love. In fact, he is not

accepting any of the profi ts derived from this book.

“Leadership is leadership whether you’re a cop or not,” says

Lewis. He believes that leadership is all about people skills

and how one communicates with others. People skills

encourage people to be the best that they can be. However,

Lewis does point out that leadership in the realm of policing

diff ers from leadership in other aspects of life in that every

decision made as a member of a police force should be based

on the safety of citizens.

In terms of leading an organization, Lewis believes that true

leaders will place employees ahead of themselves and their

personal agendas. Th ey must also possess a compelling vision

and be able to communicate that vision with others in order to

interaction

A common misperception is that

crime is the only strain on police

services. Many forget that accidents

occur daily, and police are almost

always called to the scene. Lewis

believes that educating the public is

one way to help reduce accidents.

Preventing these types of incidents

also prevents police offi cers from

being called in, which in turn helps

lower costs.

10 / OGRA MILESTONES CONFERENCE 2014

make them want to excel as individuals. Delving into personal

experience, he explains that throughout his career those who

inspired him the most were those that actually cared about

him enough to both encourage him and to give him a butt-

kicking (fi guratively of course) when he needed it. “Leadership

is not about being the best at something. Nobody will

remember how well you wrote a search warrant,” says Lewis.

An ongoing project within the OPP involves leadership

planning. Th eir goal is to get those in leadership positions

to focus on engaging the workforce. Lewis believes that if

they are to follow through with changes aimed at increasing

cost-eff ectiveness (discussed above), they are going to need

a strong leadership team. If a manager is able to respond

positively to negative news he/she will be more likely to rally

the troops than a manager who responds negatively. He goes

on to say that “Any company with any amount of money in

the world will fail without good leadership.”

CommunicationMaintaining positive relationships with municipal leaders

and the public is important to any police force. I was

interested in fi nding out how the Commissioner undertook

such an important duty. He claims that there isn’t one single

way to do it, but rather a combination of things. A major pillar

of building good relationships is communication. If there is

a lack of communication then there will be no way to know

what the issues are. In policing, explains Lewis, visibility

is a part of communication as citizens feel that offi cers are

aware of problems when they see them patrolling the streets.

Treating everyone with respect is another pillar to building

positive relationships.

One of the diffi culties of relationship-building as

Commissioner of the OPP is that it’s incredibly challenging

and tiring due to the sheer size of the province. Th e OPP must

maintain relationships with over 300 mayors and councils

across the entire province of Ontario. “It is challenging to meet

with all these people all the time, but I love doing it and I wish

I could do it forever,” says Lewis. In order to be successful, he

must fi nd commanders who feel the same way about building

positive relationships. He admits that over the years he has had

some commanders who spent more time communicating with

police boards rather than the municipalities they serve. He

believes that is the wrong approach.

When he is out speaking to members of the community, Lewis

admits that he actually enjoys taking the tough questions

and is quite appreciative of the dialogue as it allows him to

THE MEASUREOF YOUR SUCCESSFOR OVER 40 YEARS

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS TESTING

CCIL APPROVED ASPHALT AND CONCRETE LABS

BUILDING MATERIAL/ENVELOPE CONSULTING

STRUCTURAL STEEL INSPECTIONS

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING

ONTARIO QUEBEC MARITIMES MICHIGANWWW.INSPECSOL.COM

ACO. The Future of Drainage

ACO StormBrixx - Stormwater Management System

ACO StormBrixx is a patented plastic geocellular stormwater management

system. Designed for storm runoff attenuation and in ltration, its versatility

and ability to handle H25 loads (up to 420 kN/m2) allows it to be used in

applications across all construction environments: residential, commercial,

and industrial.

ACO Systems, Ltd.(877) 226-4255 | acostormbrixx.com


understand the issues that both municipal leaders and citizens

may have. His rule of thumb is to never make promises he

can’t keep. Perhaps some political leaders can learn from him.

RetirementWhile on the topic of politics, I asked the Commissioner about

his retirement plans and whether or not he is thinking of

following in the footsteps of his predecessor Julian Fantino,

who is now a Conservative Cabinet Minister at the federal

level. “Not at all,” said Lewis as he laughed. Many forget that

Lewis had brain surgery to remove a tumour back in 2000.

He explained that he was retiring from the OPP, although he

intends to stay active. Since then he has always tried to remain

in good health, something that he acknowledges has been a bit

challenging as head of the OPP.

In his post-OPP life, Lewis plans on doing some consulting and

completing a book on leadership. He is even considering

writing a fi ction novel. Although he took many university

courses over the years, Lewis never formally completed a

degree. Doing so is a commitment he made both to himself

and to his kids and is one of his top priorities after leaving

the OPP.

Commissioner Lewis wants to spend more time doing the

things he loves such as exercising and riding his motorcycle.

He sits on the board of directors for Special Olympics Ontario

and wants to devote more of his time to that organization and

the wonderful cause that they champion.

Judging by the sheer volume of things Commissioner Chris

Lewis plans on doing following his time at the OPP, it can

hardly be called retirement. Furthermore it seems you’ll never

hear him repeat the phrase made famous by Danny Glover as

Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon, “I’m getting too

old for this (stuff ).”

interaction

Leadership is all about people skills and how one communicates with others.

People skills encourage people to be the best that they can be.Commissioner Chris Lewis

Documents

Chris Lewis