PHILLIP MACKENZIE
Halifax,NS
Summary
Dynamic law enforcement professional with extensive experience at Halifax Regional Police, specializing in incident command and risk management. Demonstrated success in leading intricate investigations, optimizing operational efficiency, and promoting inter-agency collaboration. Skilled in stakeholder engagement and organizational planning, spearheading impactful community safety initiatives and delivering significant outcomes in high-pressure environments.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Front Line Member
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Sackville, New Brunswick
08.2024 - Current
- Provide frontline policing services while supporting integrated operations, inter-agency coordination, and risk-based decision-making.
- Apply emergency management, incident command, and operational planning skills developed through senior leadership roles.
- Contribute to public safety operations requiring adaptability, situational awareness, and sound judgment under pressure.
Police Sergeant: Ground Search and Rescue Team Commander
Halifax Regional Police
06.2012 - Current
- Served as Incident Commander during missing person searches and emergency search operations.
- Coordinated command briefings, inter-agency communication, and operational planning.
- Conducted ongoing risk assessments related to terrain, weather, personnel fatigue, and public safety.
- Ensured accountability of all personnel and completion of operational reporting.
Police Sergeant: Criminal Investigation Division, Financial Crime Unit
Halifax Regional Police
01.2022 - 08.2024
- Provided operational leadership, administration, and quality assurance for complex financial crime and organized crime investigations.
- Managed investigative work queues, assigned resources, reviewed judicial authorizations, and ensured compliance with legislative and policy requirements.
- Led Project Grandparent Scams, resulting in multiple arrests, recovery of approximately 100,000 dollars, and criminal organization charges.
- Proposed and designed a revised supervisory and team structure to improve workload management, service delivery, and investigative focus.
Police Sergeant: Criminal Investigation Division, Special Victims Section, Human Trafficking/Internet Child Exploitation
Halifax Regional Police
05.2020 - 01.2022
- Oversaw investigations involving child exploitation, human trafficking, and missing persons in a high-risk operational environment.
- Reduced investigative backlogs while increasing proactive enforcement and judicial authorizations.
- Developed and led the first team-based Vice project resulting in the first human trafficking charges in HRP since 2017.
Police Sergeant: Criminal Investigation Division, General Investigative Section
Halifax Regional Police
09.2017 - 10.2020
- Led investigative teams on major and sensitive files while mentoring and evaluating staff.
- Developed operational plans, coordinated staffing, and ensured effective resource deployment.
- Conducted internal investigations and acted in senior supervisory roles when required.
Police Sergeant: Patrol Division
Halifax Regional Police
01.2014 - 09.2017
- Supervised frontline patrol operations and managed critical incidents and major crime scenes.
- Ensured appropriate deployment of personnel and resources while addressing public complaints and member wellness.
- Provided performance management, mentoring, and operational oversight.
Emergency Response Team: Constable and Sergeant
Halifax Regional Police
07.2006 - 01.2013
- Provided tactical response to high-risk incidents and served as team leader during critical operations.
- Developed operational plans and delivered training to team members.
- Compiled operational plans for high risk situations, ensuring safety for members and the public.
- Multilevel collaboration with other police units, police agencies and major stakeholders in communities to ensure operations run without incident.
Community Response Officer
Halifax Regional Police
Halifax, Nova Scotia
01.2004 - 09.2008
- Led community-based safety initiatives and addressed crime trends through collaborative problem-solving.
- Built strong relationships with community leaders, boards, and stakeholders.
Education
Police Sciences - Awarded top cadet academically
Atlantic Police Academy
Bachelor of Arts - Community Studies, Focus on psychology, sociology, human studies, and policing
Cape Breton University
Certified police coach - policing leadership, Communications and legal issues in policing
Dalhousie University, Henson College
Skills
- Incident command and emergency operations
- Risk management and decision-making
- Organizational planning
- Change management
- Inter-agency coordination
- Municipal governance and policy compliance
- Microsoft Office and digital tools
- Stakeholder engagement
Accomplishments
- Served as Incident Commander for Ground Search and Rescue operations, coordinating police, fire, GSAR, and partner agencies while ensuring responder safety, accountability, and effective resource deployment.
- Led multi-agency operations involving up to 52 personnel across four agencies, resulting in more than 750,000 dollars in seized property and successful prosecutions.
- Reduced investigative backlogs by more than 50 percent through workflow redesign, prioritization, and supervision improvements.
- Led Nova Scotia's first-ever cryptocurrency seizure involving HRP and RCMP, supporting criminal organization charges and advancing investigative capacity. Coordinated interprovincial investigations targeting fraud against vulnerable populations, contributing to arrests and charges across multiple jurisdictions.
- Developed and implemented updated operational and governance policies, including modernization of procedures that had not been revised in over two decades.
Training
- Incident Command System 100, 200, 300
- Ground Search and Rescue Command
- Emergency response, tactical leadership, and operational planning
Boards And Committees
- Shop Steward, Halifax Regional Police Union
- Member, Criminal Investigation Division Wellness Committee
- Board Member, HomeBridge Society
- Board Member, Dartmouth Downtown Business Association
- Police Representative, Neighborhood Watch Programs
- Conflict resolution and mediation roles with youth and community sports organizations
Timeline
Front Line Member
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
08.2024 - Current
Police Sergeant: Criminal Investigation Division, Financial Crime Unit
Halifax Regional Police
01.2022 - 08.2024
Police Sergeant: Criminal Investigation Division, Special Victims Section, Human Trafficking/Internet Child Exploitation
Halifax Regional Police
05.2020 - 01.2022
Police Sergeant: Criminal Investigation Division, General Investigative Section
Halifax Regional Police
09.2017 - 10.2020
Police Sergeant: Patrol Division
Halifax Regional Police
01.2014 - 09.2017
Police Sergeant: Ground Search and Rescue Team Commander
Halifax Regional Police
06.2012 - Current
Emergency Response Team: Constable and Sergeant
Halifax Regional Police
07.2006 - 01.2013
Community Response Officer
Halifax Regional Police
01.2004 - 09.2008
Police Sciences - Awarded top cadet academically
Atlantic Police Academy
Bachelor of Arts - Community Studies, Focus on psychology, sociology, human studies, and policing
Cape Breton University
Certified police coach - policing leadership, Communications and legal issues in policing
Dalhousie University, Henson College