A champion to those around her, retired Halton Regional Police Deputy Chief Carol Crowe is being remembered as a role model, genuine, authentic, smart and compassionate.
Crowe died Nov. 19 following a lengthy cancer battle, first diagnosed in 2016. She was 56. Her death comes just weeks after the death of former Halton Police Chief Jim Harding, who died Oct. 28.
Halton Police tweeted: “Deputy Chief Crowe was not only a principled leader, mentor, and role model; she was a cherished wife, mother, and friend to all those who knew and loved her beyond her badge.”
In 1989, Crowe became a constable with HRPS, and was named deputy chief in 2015. She was, and remains, the only female to ever hold that title. When she was promoted, she was district commander in Oakville. In less than 12 months she was facing breast cancer.
While rising through the ranks with the police, she held roles such as Detective in Oakville, where she worked alongside Retired Supt. Chris Perkins. He was in the fraud unit, he said, while Crowe’s career was geared toward persons’ crimes, sex assault and victim crimes.
“She was very well-liked; her integrity and her work ethic were great. You wouldn’t find anybody saying a bad thing about her,” Perkins said. “She put her heart and soul into the job. She was smart, witty, intellectual, savvy, experienced — the whole package; one of those nice people who you meet from time to time.
“She was definitely well thought of and well-liked.”
Among the many community organizations Crowe became involved with are: Halton Industry and Education Council, Thrive Group, Halton Women’s Place, Children’s Aid Society and the United Way.
It was through her input that Oakville North MP Pam Damoff helped other young women consider more diverse careers. During a roundtable event Damoff organized, Crowe became a mentor to many young women. She helped them consider non-traditional careers, including policing.
“I remember when I tweeted in 2016, during a roundtable about International Women’s Day, and how to get women to succeed. There’s lots of jobs out there, many in non-traditional careers, and why do women not choose those? And Carol said, ‘Well, a lot of times young women just don’t see themselves in that career,’" Damoff recalled.
“She was someone who connected with every single person she met,” Damoff said, adding she was particularly grateful to Crowe for the time she spent with high school and university students as a mentor.
The Young Women in Leadership Program sees high school and university students pair with a mentor for a day. Crowe was a mentor to many.
“Even after she was diagnosed and going through treatment, she talked about her journey,” Damoff said. “That’s not easy when you’re a public figure. She was a very special person. She was the first (female) deputy chief in Halton and the only one; she was a groundbreaker, and having her in that role, it was a great role model for the other women in the Halton Police Service.”
Another Halton group who expressed condolences is one that was close to Crowe’s heart.
Laurie Hepburn, Executive Director at Halton Women’s Place, said she was very saddened to hear the news of Crowe’s death.
“As long as we’ve been around, she’s been with us,” Hepburn said, although she didn’t work with Crowe, since she had retired. “She has been a champion and a supporter for HWP. Our relationship with the police is so crucial.”
She said she knows if she ever needs to call the Deputy Chief, that he’s always there to provide support.
“She has been described by everyone at HWP, that with any initiative, Carol was always there to take your call and give another perspective. She was always a champion for us. I can say that Carol was instrumental in supporting her officers with our protocols and as a champion for women," said Hepburn.
“She was a mentor — a beacon of hope for women in a bad situation. Carol had hurdles and she didn’t make that a secret, and how she turned that into a new path for herself. Women in our services, and the women who work here, having someone in a community leadership role is great."
A celebration of life is set for 11 a.m. today (Saturday, Nov. 26) at Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church. The Halton Police will be piping for her, and a large police presence is expected.
Crowe is survived by her two children, daughter Kaitlin and son Andrew, her husband Ron Wheeldon, and step-children Katelyn and Curtis.
