The most recent appointments to the Canadian Senate includes soon to be former Chief of Police, Vernon White of the Ottawa Police Service. Vern White has had a lengthy career within the RCMP and has also served as the chief of police in Durham Region before taking on his post in Ottawa. He was often touted as a possible successor to William Elliott as RCMP Commissioner, however, this highly-esteemed position went to Robert Paulson instead. It is interesting that White's tenure with the Durham Regional Police Service was exceedingly brief (approximately two years), and one might suggest that he was somewhat precipitous in his jump to the Ottawa chief's position. Certainly, Vern White has been challenged with some controversial matters while installed with the Ottawa Police Service, including the Stacey Bonds strip-search incident. However, being in Ottawa has allowed White to make some important, and ultimately fruitful, contacts within the federal government.
Vern's interests were decidedly in the restorative justice area of policing, as well as, crime prevention. It is likely that his senatorial emphasis will continue to be on these areas, although it will be worth noting how his perspective dovetails with the Harper Government's current "tough on crime" mindset.
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