Mark Ford has completed thirty-one years as a member of the Ottawa Police Service. Currently, Mark is the Superintendent of Frontline Operations, which includes Platoon / Fixed Shift operations, Emergency Services Unit, Airport Policing Unit, Bikes and Beats Unit, OPSOC, Incident Command and Emergency Management Programs. Mark has also spent time as the Superintendent overseeing Planning, Performance and Analytics and leading transformational change within the Ottawa Police Service. Mark initiated and led- along with Dianna Millar- a project on internal police governance that won project of the year in 2017 with the International Association of Law Enforcement Planners.

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Mark spent the majority of his career, in the former Emergency Operations Directorate. While there, Mark was instrumental in either planning, leading and commanding numerous security operations for major events and critical incidents in the Nation’s Capital over 13 years (such as Presidential Visits, Stanley Cup Celebrations, Protests, etc). Mark was the OPS Incident Commander during the tragic events that occurred on October, 22nd 2014 at the Cenotaph and Parliament Hill. Mark was instrumental in the creation of the City of Ottawa’s internationally recognized Special Events Advisory Team and leading the development and implementation of Police Liaison Team (PLT) to work with community stakeholders during major events and protests. Mark’s formative years were spent as a frontline patrol officer, and as a member of the Tactical Unit and Explosives Unit.

Mark is a past executive member of the National Incident Commanders Working Group Association and has taught Critical Incident Command throughout Canada and led the development of Incident Command training for OPS members. He currently sits and has sat on a number of provincial and national level committees and working groups, in the area of emergency response.

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Mark is committed to establishing strong and lasting relationships internal to the OPS, public safety partners and also, importantly, the communities that make up Ottawa, to ensure the safety and security of all.

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Mark is actively involved with the community. Mark is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for the Snowsuit Fund of Ottawa, volunteers with BluesFest to ensure their emergency preparedness and together with his family helps fundraise and build schools in Nicaragua through SchoolBox. Mark and his wife, Susan Griffin, have 6 children as part of their blended family. Mark’s interests include hockey, yoga, cycling, skiing, travel and music.