Deputy police chief who led region's COVID vaccine delivery to retire

Karen Redman, Chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board, announced today that Deputy Chief Shirley Hilton will retire from the Waterloo Regional Police Service after 33 years of dedicated service.

“On behalf of all members of the Police Services Board, I want to thank Deputy Hilton for devoting more than three decades to public safety in Waterloo Region,” Redman said in a press release. “She has proven to be a tremendous leader, not just in the field of policing but as the lead for the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force for the Region of Waterloo. We are very grateful for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”

Deputy Hilton, who will officially retire May 30, began her career with the WRPS in 1990. She served in several different positions, including Frontline Patrol, General Investigations, Homicide, Drug Enforcement, Professional Standards and Superintendent of South, Central and Investigative Services Division. Her passion for mentoring and succession management led her to help create a Women in Leadership Network, with the vision to commit to celebrating and shaping the future of women in policing. It also led her to help develop a Professional Development Network that acts as a formal career mentorship program for members within the Service.  She served as Acting Deputy Chief from January 2019 to June 2019 and was named Deputy Chief in 2020.

“The past 33 years have brought many challenges, but also many rewards as I have had the privilege to work with so many remarkable people,” Hilton said in the release. “It has been an honour to serve this community for so many years and to do it alongside the incredible members of WRPS. I am grateful for the many experiences, friendships and fond memories that I have made over the years and I leave confident that, under the leadership and guidance of Chair Redman and Chief Crowell, WRPS will continue to flourish and succeed.”

Throughout her policing career, Deputy Hilton represented Waterloo Regional Police Service at many national and provincial organizations, serving as Chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Crime Prevention, Community Safety and Well-Being Committee, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Board of Directors, Canadian Intelligence Services of Ontario Governing Body Executive. She has also volunteered her time to many local community groups, including Board of Directors of the John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington.

In 2022, she received the YWCA Cambridge Woman of Distinction “The Courage of COVID” award and, in 2021, The Order of Merit for the Police Forces (M.O.M) award.

“It has been a true honour to work with Deputy Hilton,” said Mark Crowell, Chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service. “Her passion for public safety and community have been an inspiration to many, not just within our Service but within the entire region that she has so passionately and selflessly served for the past 33 years. I am very thankful for her support, her guidance, her friendship and her leadership over the years.”

The Waterloo Regional Police Services Board will be launching a recruitment process for a new deputy chief.