'Tough but fair': Community mourns former police chief

Robert McEwen, former chief of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, is being remembered as a no nonsense cop who balanced the serious nature of police work with a good sense of humour.

McEwen died Sept. 28 at the age of 94. 

McEwen began his career in 1953, serving as Sault Police chief from 1978 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 1996.

“He was a straight shooter. He was a law and order chief. He had strong leadership skills. He ran a very tight ship. He was no nonsense but at the same time he had a sense of humour and was a pleasant individual to be around,” said Bob Davies in an interview with SooToday.

Davies succeeded McEwen as Sault Police chief in 1996 and continued in that role until his own retirement in 2014.

Davies was hired as a constable in 1976 when McEwen served as deputy chief.

“I’m certainly going to miss him because he became a friend of mine during his second time around as chief when I held the rank of inspector. He was a mentor. When it was announced that I would be the next chief he made a point of taking me to senior management meetings with senior managers at city hall, so I got to know more about that aspect of policing. That was very important for me because as a chief you have to get more familiar with the business aspect of running a police service along with the operational day to day work. I got to learn a lot from him just by watching him and seeing how he ran the service, how he interacted with senior command and with the civilian staff and all the officers,” Davies said.

As chief, McEwen advanced the role of women in policing and was also an early advocate of community policing. He served as president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and was a lifetime member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. 

“He was chief of police when I was hired. He was the first chief to start hiring more females for the Sault Ste. Marie City Police Service. I had the opportunity to go into the detective office early in my career when he was chief. A number of us had that opportunity so he was really a pioneer in that way and in community policing. He was very big on walking the beat and getting to know community members and store owners in the downtown area and residential areas as well. He was certainly progressive in that sense. He certainly always made it a point to say hello when he came into the building,” said retired Sault Police Staff Sergeant Jane Martynuck who served with the SSMPS from 1985 to 2019.    

After his first retirement from Sault Police in 1987, he was hired with the Ontario Police Commission (Policing Services Division) and travelled across the province in an advisory capacity to other police services. 

McEwen was also known for his dedication to his family and his passion for training race horses.

“He was very quick witted and would come out with a one liner or a comment that would make you chuckle. That’s the type of guy he was. We would be discussing an operational matter at a Police Services Board meeting and he would come out with a few words to lighten the situation. He would make a comment that made everybody chuckle,” Davies said.

“He was a tough chief but a fair chief and I think everyone recognized that,” said former Sault mayor and City CAO Joe Fratesi. 

“In that position that’s the kind of person you need. People felt it (the Sault Police Service) was a good place to work. He was probably one of our best chiefs. We had an excellent working relationship. He was around when the service was expanding and taking on new technology. He was old school in some of his thinking and very progressive at the same time. He was an all round good guy,” Fratesi told SooToday.

McEwen is survived by his wife, two children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held at Arthur Funeral Home - Barton and Kiteley Chapel from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. A service will be held  at 1 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Thursday.

To read McEwen’s obituary, click here.