Two officers climb the ranks at NBPS

The North Bay Police Service held a special ceremony at headquarters on Princess Street today to promote two of their own. Sergeant Brian Crown was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant and fellow officer Detective Constable Helen Kent was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Crown, a home town boy, was described by his fellow officers as a good officer, hard worker, and a decent man. Crown joined the service in 1987 and has worked his way up the service ladder from the youth section to street crimes and on to general investigations. The new Staff Sergeant says the promotion is not something his peers hand out lightly and that it took months of hard work and the support of his family to reach this level.

“It is a very intense process,” he says.

“There’s numerous examinations and interviews that went over a couple of months ... a lot of studying ... a lot of time.”

Kent, originally from Sundridge, has also shown dedication and determination as she worked her way up the ranks. Joining the city service in 1991 after two years in St. Thomas, Kent moved from joint snow patrol to street crime, court services and on to victim assistance co-ordinator before joining the investigative support section. Kent is also the first female officer assigned to the Emergency Response Team and credits a number of mentors as well as her family for the success she has enjoyed so far in her career.

“One of the best mentors I ever had was actually Norm Shillington who of course was my sergeant for years and is now retired, but he was possibly one of my best mentors I had and if I can do half the job that he did as sergeant then I will be quite satisfied in my role,” she states.

“And there has been others along the way I had the privilege of working for Ted Whittle who of course has just recently retired as a staff sergeant I’m currently working for Heather Johnston who’s another female officer that has the rank of staff sergeant and she has a lot to share with me as far as her experience and her knowledge and those are defiantly things I will bring with me.”