Chief Gary Crowell began his policing career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police serving in Nova Scotia.  He later joined the Peel Regional Police, attaining the rank of Superintendent.   In 1999, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Police with the Halton Regional Police Service.  He was appointed Chief of Police in June 2006, and currently has more than 35 years experience in policing.

Professionally, he is a member of the Ontario, Canadian, and International Associations of Chiefs of Police, as well as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) based in Washington, D.C.

He is the Chair of the Canadian Chiefs Crime Prevention Committee, the Ontario Chiefs Organized Crime Committee and has served on the OACP Diversity Committee and the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s Domestic Violence Death Review Committee.

A strong supporter of women in policing, he has been a member of the Advisory Committee of Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE) since the inception of that organization in 1997. Chief Crowell also serves on the International Association of Women Police Awards Committee.  Locally, he is a member of the Board of Governors of Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington.

Chief Crowell is also widely recognized for his strong interest in reaching out to diverse communities. He is past Chair of the Greater Toronto Working Group on Policing in Multicultural/Multiracial Communities and is well known and respected by faith and multicultural leaders across Halton for his dedication in creating a relationship of trust and respect between the Service and all residents of Halton Region.

Chief Crowell received a Diploma in Community Planning from Mohawk College in Hamilton and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.   He is a graduate from the F.B.I. National Academy and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Program and numerous courses from the Canadian Police College. 

Chief Crowell is the recipient of the Police Exemplary Service Medal, the Ontario Medal for Police Bravery and received the Canadian Police Medal of Merit from Governor General Adrian Clarkson in June 2005.  In March 2008, he was awarded a Gold Medal for Excellence by the Human Rights and Race Relations Center.  Chief Crowell became the first recipient of the Ontario Women in Law Enforcement President’s Award in May, 2008.

A long-time Burlington resident, he and his wife Gail have three adult sons, one of whom is a police officer with the Waterloo Regional Police Service.