Be A Fan - Chief Constable Jim Chu
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"My years in the Vancouver public school system provided me with an important foundation on which I have built my career. Not only did I gain a well-rounded education but I learned the importance of service and responsibility to your community" |
Chief Constable Jim Chu, a 30-year veteran with the Vancouver Police Department is a community leader and a positive role model for Vancouver’s students. He is also a fan of Vancouver Public Schools.
“I’m a product of Vancouver schools,” said Chu at a press conference to launch the Be A Fan campaign on October 18.
Chu attended Vancouver public schools from Kindergarten to Grade 12. He attended Grandview Elementary from K-4, General Wolfe from grade 4-7 and Sir Charles Tupper Secondary from grade 8-12. At General Wolfe Chu participated in the school’s first band and was part of the school safety patrol helping fellow students to safely get to school. In Tupper Secondary Chu participated in many extracurricular and school activities including school band, rugby, wrestling and tennis.
Chu emphasizes the importance of education and literacy by quoting a statistic that 8 out of 10 people who enter a correctional facility have not completed schooling.
As a father of four children he understands how important education is for ensuring a successful future for our children. Parents are an important part of the education system and Chu encourages them to ensure their children stay in school and are active in school activities. Parents should also get involved with their children’s schools by volunteering and be aware of what their kids are doing.
Read Chu’s question and answers on why he is a fan of Vancouver Public Schools.
Constable Jim Chu Bio
Chu received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of British Columbia. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute.
In 1979 Chu joined the Vancouver Police Department. His early assignments included Patrol Constable, School Liaison Officer, and Planning and Research. He was promoted to Corporal in 1989 and then Detective in 1990.
He held investigative assignments in the General Investigation and Robbery squads then returned to patrol as a Sergeant in 1991. Five years later, as Sergeant in charge of the Recruiting Unit, he authored the VPD Applicant Guide, and restructured the outreach programs and swearing-in ceremonies.
A highlight of his career occurred in 1997 when he became an Inspector and the Vancouver Police Project Manager on the E-Comm project. He managed the VPD transitions onto the E-Comm radio system, the new dispatch facility, the PRIME-BC Records Management system, and a new mobile computing and data access platform. That led to increasing responsibilities as the Patrol District 4 Commander in 2001. He was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2003 in charge of the Support Services Division and later, the Operations Support Division. He was appointed Chief Constable in August 2007.
Other related experiences include:
- Elected in October 2001 as a Director of the IACP Law Enforcement Information Management Section. Served as Chair in 2006-2007.
- Former co-chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Informatics Committee.
- Volunteer trustee on the Richmond Public Library Board, elected as vice chair for two years, and chair for two years.
- Employed as a part time contract faculty member in the Douglas College Department of Criminology, and taught introduction to policing and community policing courses.
- Authored the book, Law Enforcement Information Technology, © CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2001. Also published articles in many other journals such as Police Chief Magazine, Law and Order, Canadian Police Chief magazine, and Radio Resource.
- Former President of the Vancouver Police Officers Mess.
- Former member of Board of Governors, Justice Institute of B.C.
- Chair, Police Information Portal National Governance Committee.
He was awarded the BC Library Trustee “Super Trustee” award in 1999, and received a Chief Constable’s Commendation in 2000 for his work on the E-Comm technology projects. In May 2007, he was invested by the Governor General as an “Officer” of the Order of Merit of Police Services.
