Chris D. 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. As commissioner, he oversaw front-line policing, traffic and marine operations, emergency response and specialized and multi-jurisdictional investigations throughout the Province of Ontario, including service to 324 municipalities, highways and waterways, delivered through almost 9,000 personnel.
After joining the OPP in 1978, Commissioner Lewis served across Ontario in front-line service delivery, various investigative disciplines, tactical operations and a number of command positions in the Investigations and Organized Crime and in Field Operations command. He was also seconded to the RCMP to lead an anti-smuggling task force for two years the Ontario government for another two years, where he led the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.
He retired from the OPP in April 2014 but continues to lecture on leadership and policing issues across North America. He has authored numerous articles and in 2016 he published a book on leadership, entitled “Never Stop on a Hill,” the profits from which are entirely committed to Special Olympics Ontario. He has been on contract at NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre in Norway since 2017, providing subject matter expertise during large military exercises, regarding civilian policing and intelligence matters. In addition, he is currently the Public Safety Analyst for the CTV Television Network, appearing regularly in local and national news stories across Canada. See more of his work on his company website, www.lighthouseleadershipservices.com.
