Meet Debbie Miller
I am a mother, wife, community member and a police officer.
In 1994, I became an officer with the Ottawa Police Service. Throughout my career, I have had many wonderful opportunities to make a difference in my community. My interest in policing developed in 1990 while in University. I applied and got a summer job working with the Ottawa Police. This job was my first real insight into the role of policing and learning more about the profession. I took every opportunity I could to speak with officers, even going on ride-alongs. From that experience I was hooked. I continued to work for the police throughout my schooling.
In 1993, I became aware of and applied for the Thomas G. Flanagan Scholarship. This scholarship was developed because the former Chief Thomas G. Flanagan recognized the need to have the skills and knowledge of racialized and Aboriginal women within the Ottawa Police Service. He wanted the police to be a true representation of the community it so proudly served. With that in mind, this scholarship was created to encourage racialized and Aboriginal women to consider policing as a profession. That year I became the first recipient of the Thomas G. Flanagan Scholarship. A year later I joined the Ottawa Police Service as an officer. In 1994, for the first time in history, the Ottawa police hired five black female officers. I was one of those five officers. And that is how my career in policing began.
When I am not working, I spend quality time with my husband and two girls. I also find time to enjoy running, dancing and playing sports. My quiet time, which is quite rare, is spent reading and sleeping in.
Policing has given me so much opportunity to give back to my community. It has allowed me to look at people and life in a different way, and most of all it has given me a sense of purpose. I thank former Chief Thomas G. Flanagan for recognizing the potential of what each member of our community has to offer.
Meet Alanna Mar
Alanna Mar is a dean's list student at the University of Ottawa, studying biomedical science with a minor in biology. Alanna's high school years were spent at Ashbury College, where in addition to being a scholar roll student, she played on a variety of school sports teams, including for three years, the boys' hockey team. During high school, Alanna also played elite girls' AA hockey with the National Capital Competitive Program, and elite girls' soccer for Ottawa South United, representing eastern Ontario in the provincial league.
In order to focus on academics, Alanna selected the University of Ottawa program with the intention of continuing on to medical school. She continued to find time however she maintained her connection to hockey through coaching and refereeing. As an assistant coach to a team of 11-12 year old girls, Alanna helps them to improve significantly throughout their season, which resulted in unexpected wins of both the city and provincial championships. As a referee with the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, Alanna also officiates games throughout the Ottawa area and at the provincial championships, from novice up to the university level.
In 2010, Alanna began to show interest in pursuing a career in the criminal justice system rather than in medicine. This interest had its beginning in elective courses in ethics and criminology, and really developed during the summer of 2010 when Alanna worked for the Ottawa Police Diversity and Race Relations section. Summer employment with OPS as well as a ride-along and volunteering at the Centretown Community Police Centre further reinforced her interest in a future career with the OPS.
She now plans to follow her Bachelor of Science with a law degree, following which she has a strong interest in a career in policing with the OPS.