Chatham-Kent's very first police chief has passed away.
John Kopinak died on Monday in Mitchell's Bay after a courageous battle with cancer.
As the municipality's first police chief, Kopinak was tasked with bringing together the Dresden, Chatham Wallaceburg and Tilbury police services, following Chatham-Kent's amalgamation in 1998.
Current Chatham-Kent Police Chief Gary Conn called Chief Kopinak “the architect of the Chatham-Kent Police Service.” He added that Kopinak had a fundamental belief in community-based policing and continuous staff training.
“Having had the privilege of working with Chief Kopinak, I can speak on behalf of our entire service when I say he had the unique ability to command respect from everyone both in a personal and professional sense,” said Conn.
During his tenure as chief, Kopinak was at the forefront of the Myles Neuts case in 1998, after the 10-year-old was found hanging from a coat hook in a washroom stall door at St. Agnes Catholic School in Chatham.
As the family sought answers, Kopinak became their friend.
"He was always there for us and he always acted like I was more of a friend than a client or a case," said Mike Neuts, Myles’ father. “He became a confidant and a trusted soul.”
Neuts said Kopinak had a love of life and youth, and added that the former chief always impressed him as a police officer.
"I can't say it the way I want to, but he brought me a little bit of relative calm... that's something I didn't imagine finding for a long time," said Neuts. "It was a tremendous gift from John Kopinak to stay in touch with me and bring me that calm, and I'll never forget it. He probably restored my faith in all policing.
"The world could use a few more of John Kopinak."
Kopinak's career as a police officer spanned 34 years, five of which was spent as CK's police chief. His career began in 1968 with the Port Colborne Police and he later served in executive capacities with the Niagara Regional Police force, the Provincial Solicitor General’s office and the Canadian Police College. He was also a graduate of the FBI Academy in Quantico.
A visitation will be held for Kopinak on Thursday at McKinlay Funeral Homes at 459 St. Clair St., from 2pm-4pm and 7pm-9pm. The funeral Mass will take place on Friday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 180 Wellington St. W, at 1:30pm. Further funeral and visitation information can be found by clicking here.
-With files from Angelica Haggert
