Sergeant David J. Thomas
Provincial Coordinator - Community Issues
Crime Prevention Section
Field Support Bureau
Ontario Provincial Police

Sgt David Thomas joined the Ontario Provincial Police in 1985 and served at the Port Credit & Milton Detachments before his promotion and appointment to Regional Community Policing Services Manager for the OPP Greater Toronto Region in 1995.

In 1999, he was seconded to OPP General Headquarters,Orillia for the Provincial Adequacy Standards Implementation Project and has sinced served with the Corporate Communications Bureau, Provincial Police Academy & Operational Policy & Support Bureau before his transfer to the Crime Prevention Section in January 2007.

Sgt Thomas has received OPP Commissioner Citations for his development and implementation of a myriad of community safety and crime prevention program partnerships in support of traffic safety, victim assistance, elder abuse, youth development and crime prevention in general including his work as a community volunteer in support of Child Find Ontario, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Women Abuse Shelters and United Way of Ontario.

He has also been recognized through the National Police Award for Traffic Safety; Ontario Chamber of Commerce Police Officer of the Year Award; American Society of Industrial Security’s Community Policing Award; Washington D.C .Police Executive Research Forum’s Excellence in Problem Solving Award and was the first OPP member to proudly receive the prestigious Ontario Amethyst Award for outstanding achievement by a public servant.

Sgt Thomas' efforts in support of crime prevention partnerships were also recently recognized through the 2010 Ontario Ministry of Community Safety & Corrections Ovation! Award and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Crime Prevention Award.

A recent graduate from the State of Michigan’s Commission on Law Enforcement Standards Crime Prevention Program with the Detroit Police Department, Sgt Thomas has successfully completed numerous courses of study in relation to business marketing & communications, project management and community policing. He holds an Honours Diploma in Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement and is pursuing a Bachelor of Professional Arts Degree - Criminal Justice Major at Athabaska University, Alberta.

  In his role as the OPP Provincial Coordinator of Community Issues, Sgt Thomas is responsible for the research, development and provincial coordination of community based crime prevention initiatives and programs.

Through his leadership of the OPP SafeGuard Ontario crime prevention program, Sgt Thomas recently helped develop the OPP CPTED Level 1: An Introduction to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design accredited course of study which briefly explains the history, underlying principles and crime prevention strategies of CPTED and how physical security measures by design can effectively influence human behaviour in support of safe communities - a secure Ontario.