Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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C/Supt D.E. (Doug) Coates
Chief Superintendent (C/Supt.) Douglas Coates joined the RCMP on September 15, 1978. Over 32 years, he worked a varied career, ranging from contract to federal and international policing.
He spent his first ten years providing policing services to rural and First Nations communities in K Division (Alberta), working general duty patrol, and investigating serious criminal offences including several long-term drug operations. C/Supt Coates went on to specialize in mountain search and rescue and composite artistry.
Over the course of his career, he also served in A Division (Ottawa) with the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) and the Emergency Response Team (ERT), he led a team of customs and excise investigators and later headed the proceeds of crime unit in Quebec.
He deployed on his first United Nations mission to Haiti in 1993. Due to the security threat at the time, the contingent was evacuated from the country. C/Supt. Coates returned for a second mission to Haiti the following year. One of his achievements was to open five police stations in the Grand Anse region, re-establishing police services for the estimated 800,000 citizens of that area.
This was the beginning of a brilliant career in international policing and peace operations. In 1996, C/Supt. Coates assumed responsibility for the management of Canadian police deployments on behalf of the RCMP, spending three years in the role. He subsequently undertook secondments to the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Ottawa and the Australian Federal Police.
He returned to head up the International Peace Operations Branch in 2007. This position involved establishing partnerships with Canadian police services across the country which have enabled the RCMP to meet the growing foreign demand for Canadian police expertise in missions around the world.
He deployed once again to Haiti in June 2009 where he was the Acting Commissioner of Operations for MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) until the time of his death.
C/Supt. Coates was the recipient of a Candian peacekeeping service medal, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal, a 30-year silver clasp and the police exemplary service medal. In 1995, he also received a medal for his UN mission to Haiti.
C/Supt. Coates held a Masters of Arts in Management and Policy, as well as a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Criminology. He was an avid mountain climber, ski racer and learner. He is survived by his wife Lise and his children Julie, Mathieu and Luc.
As Doug often closed his meetings and correspondence, his biography ends - “Working together in the service of peace.”
Note:
*Some RCMP officers serving in International Missions in specific designated positions are promoted to a more senior rank for the period of time they are serving in the position.
At the time of his death Doug Coates was the Acting Commissioner of Operations for MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) and was serving in the rank of Chief Superintendent.
Consistent with the policy and practice of the Canadian Forces, it has been decided that Doug’s rank of Chief Superintendent will be recognized for all purposes, and Doug therefore, is appropriately referred to as Chief Superintendent.
