Biography W.M. (Bill) Sweeney Deputy Commissioner Special Advisor to the Commissioner

Deputy Commissioner Bill Sweeney was appointed Special Advisor to the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on August 9, 2007. In this role, Bill Sweeney is leading the RCMP’s work with the Task Force on the Governance and Cultural Change in the RCMP, aligning the organization’s activities to provide its full cooperation to the Task Force.

Professional Experience
Deputy Commissioner Sweeney joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1974, completed recruit training in Regina, Saskatchewan, and was posted to Alberta for the first 15 years of his career. He served Albertans in the communities of Provost, High Prairie, Red Deer, Edmonton and Desmarais in various capacities. Starting with general duty service, his subsequent experience includes assignments as a serious crimes investigator with a General Investigation Section (GIS), an analyst with the Criminal Operations Branch, a team leader with an Emergency Response Team (ERT), a Detachment Commander, and an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG) investigator.

In September of 1989, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney was commissioned to the rank of Inspector and was transferred to Ottawa, Ontario, where he served as the Operations Officer with the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), which is the national counter-terrorist hostage rescue team. In 1993, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney was transferred to Nanaimo, British Columbia, where he was the Operations Officer at Nanaimo Detachment, a large municipal unit. With a promotion to the rank of Superintendent in August of 1995, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney transferred to Yellowknife, North West Territories, to the position of Criminal Operations Officer for "G" Division (North West Territories). Three years later, he was appointed to the rank of Chief Superintendent and became Commanding Officer of "G" Division.

Deputy Commissioner Sweeney marked his 25th year with the RCMP by returning to the province of his first posting when in 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner and took command of "K" Division (Alberta).

On February 15, 2006, Bill Sweeney was appointed to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was given the responsibility of overseeing RCMP operations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the North West Territories and Nunavut. This area, known as the North West Region of the RCMP, is comprised of more than 6,600 employees distributed across Canada=s prairie provinces and the Arctic. In addition to this regional role, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney also served as the Commanding Officer of "K" Division, a post he was appointed to on October 19, 2001. In this role, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney was the senior officer responsible for RCMP operations in Alberta and oversaw approximately 2,500 employees who work tirelessly to provide contract policing services in 107 detachments across the province.

Personal Background
Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney completed high school in Ontario and attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He was engaged into the RCMP before completing a science degree program. He has continued his education in public administration and management training programs through Athabasca University, the University of Alberta and the Canadian Police College. In 1995, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney was selected to participate in a Conference Board of Canada Executive Study Tour to the United States to examine both private and public institution management practices.

An avid outdoorsman, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney has a small farm in northern Alberta, where he intends to retire.

Honours and Awards
Deputy Commissioner Sweeney has received numerous honours and awards to mark his achievements and milestones throughout his career in the RCMP.

Recognitions include:

• •Order of Merit (OOM) of Police Forces - awarded by the Governor General of Canada in 2005
• Alberta Centennial Medal 2005 - awarded by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 2005
• 30-year Long Service Medal (Silver Clasp) - awarded in the Province of Alberta in 2004
• Queen=s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal - presented by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 2002
• Invested as a Serving Brother of the Order of St. John Priory of Canada in 2002
• 25-year Long Service Medal (Bronze Clasp) - awarded in the North West Territories in 1999
• 20-year Long Service Medal - awarded in the Province of British Columbia in 1994