Superintendent Christopher deGale - Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( RCMP)
My name is Chris deGale and I am currently the Officer in Charge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "O" Division Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (OINSET), responsible for overseeing the RCMP's National Security mandate within the Province of Ontario, covering the Greater Toronto Area and South Western Ontario. We are the largest and busiest national security unit in the country.
I’m in my 26th year of service with the RCMP and I have served across Canada in four provinces including Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and have served at our RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa. I also served three years’ overseas in two separate deployments, including a mission in Afghanistan where I worked directly with the Afghan National Police.
Throughout my service, I have undertaken various roles including, frontline uniform duties, major crimes/homicide investigator, national security investigator, covert operations and intelligence operations positions, and several leadership roles. I do have an affinity toward counter-terrorism work and have a combined total of 9 years, dedicated national security experience and in my off-duty time, am pursuing a Masters level degree in Terrorism, Risk and Securities Studies through Simon Fraser University.
Prior to joining the RCMP, I was a member of the Canadian Forces and served with the Royal Regiment of Canada - Infantry Reserve unit from 1992 to 1995.
Born and raised in Toronto, my family moved back home to Grenada where I did the majority of secondary school (high school) and then moved back to Toronto when I graduated. I have deep roots in Grenada, Trinidad and Jamaica; mi cyan lie, mi ave too much beautiful place fi call home…
Strangely enough, I took a great interest in policing and started my application process during the time of the Rodney King incident which led to the Los Angeles riots and some mini Toronto riots. I was open about my career interests at the time and I recall some friends questioning my loyalty (black people were not loving the police). Even remembering that the first person to ever call me the “N word” was a police officer when I was only seven years old, I wanted to make a difference within my community, representing my community and, within policing. As we people of colour have all have experienced, there are specific times within our individual journeys where have stood out and been negatively impacted in some way, solely as a result of the colour of our skin; those times where you feel the hurt a little more than the regular. This occurred at a greater frequency most recently in 2020 with the tragic and untimely death of George Floyd which became a spring board for very heated and emotional discussions surrounding anti-black racism, systemic racism/discrimination, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Last year was certainly a roller coaster but I had many highpoints, one of the first was meeting Jackie Edwards at a Black History Month event that I hosted at my unit. The guest speaker was RCMP Sgt. Craig Smith (author of “You Had Better Be White By Six AM”) and Jackie heard about the event and wanted to participate. We instantly clicked and, where I didn’t know much about A.B.L.E. except for hearing about a boat cruise and annual gala dinner, I was soon educated as to A.B.L.E.’s purpose and certainly where Jackie and the Executive wanted to take the organization. Well, within the next several months, I would find myself at the virtual table with Jackie in meetings and discussions surrounding current aforementioned issues within my organization in particular, and I really came to recognize the value of A.B.L.E. and the importance of this network it has developed as we seek to achieve common goals. Shortly thereafter, I became a card-carrying member.
As a member of A.B.L.E. I will support organizational objectives that address the needs and concerns of Black and other racial minorities in law enforcement and the communities we serve. I always strive to be a voice for those who feel they do not have one. Achieving the trust of our communities is crucial in representing the interests of all and we must ensure that we don't just 'check off the boxes' but that we make meaningful progress in addressing issues that affect all of us.
I encourage you to refer to A.B.L.E.’s Goals and Objectives which are sound. If we all do our part and embrace some of these and take on one item as a challenge, you are making a positive difference. Our successes and progress are measured by our true impact within our communities and I often take the time to sit down with our youth or younger employees to provide mentorship and guidance toward their development. I am also a bit of a recruiter and always seize the opportunity to direct people down the route of law enforcement as the opportunities within our various organizations are endless – but we have to ensure, within our respective roles that we seek out those opportunities and leverage support from our contacts from within this network to do so.
To me, diversity, equity and inclusion starts with embracing the greatness of this truly diverse country by encouraging understanding, inclusiveness and respect as we continue to grow as a people and as a nation. It also includes having those difficult conversations with others when we have to.
Over the past year I have met several talented Black and racialized individuals from within A.B.L.E. and outside that continue to challenge the status quo and I look forward to working with you all as we continue to make positive change.
As a side note, I will be competing in the 2023 World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg - the 400, the 800 and the 1500 are my preference and, would love to put an A.B.L.E. 4x400 team together so, let’s chat nuh.
I do have a very busy schedule but, I always have time to chat with my sisters and brothers - reach out anytime.
Be safe and best in 2021!