Christopher Fernandes retired as Deputy Chief of Police, Durham Regional Police Service in 2018.

Chris has over 35 years of experience as a Police Officer and Security Professional. He is trained in Executive (Close) Protection, Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, Major Incident Command, Tactical Major Incident Command, Emergency Management, and Situational Awareness.

He spent the last 4 years of his law enforcement career as the Deputy Chief of Police with the Durham Regional Police Service. In that capacity, Chris led over 700 police officers and civilians, and managed a budget of over 100 million dollars. Prior to his tenure with Durham Regional Police, Chris was a member of the Toronto Police Service for over 28 years, attaining the rank of Superintendent.

During his time with Toronto Police, he spent 8 years with the Emergency Task Force (SWAT) Team, where he attended and commanded over 500 critical incident events. Chris has also served as a Major Incident Commander for hundreds of planned and unplanned situations, protests, demonstrations, and special events.

He has obtained three designations with the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI). He also holds a membership with the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

He is the recipient of the Governor General of Canada, 30 year, Police Exemplary Service Medal.

Chris advises our Executive Protection Team on procedures, protocols, and best-practices, as it relates to relevant ‘priority one’ engagements within North America and globally.