Jodi Impey has made history by becoming the first woman to lead the police in Smiths Falls, Ontario, after taking her oath of office. With 30 years of dedicated service and experience in the East Ontario community, Impey steps into this role after serving as Deputy Chief of Police.

Throughout her career, Impey has overseen numerous projects, including those resulting from Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, a significant reform of police legislation that took years to implement. “That then, in turn, downloads onto our front line and to my staff sergeants, so I just wanted to see the end before I retire,” she said.

Impey has considered retirement but remains committed to maintaining the positive direction of the police service. “Not to say that I definitely didn’t think of retirement this year. I certainly did,” she said. “I wondered if it was worth going forward, especially [because] there’s a lot of changes coming in the police service and services across Ontario. It’s something I’m really interested in still, and I still love the job.”