Maria Keen

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT MARIA KEEN

I graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa with a degree in Law/Sociology with a concentration in Criminology. In the summer of 1992, I was hired by the Nepean Police Service and was the first Racialized Female police officer. I was also the FIRST Filipino female officer in Canada to be hired. I spent time on patrol and for almost two years worked in covert operations in the enforcement squad. After almost 2 years of working there, I was transferred to work as a School Resource Officer for the next four years. I then spent a total of 7 years as a Community Police Officer in a marginalized neighborhood. This earned me a “Public Hero’s Award”. This award was given to me by citizens of Ottawa for my long-standing commitment to the community. Later I became a recruiting officer in the Human Resources Section of the Ottawa Police, hiring over 175 recruits. In 2007, I was an Academic Instructor for new recruits. I was promoted to the rank of Sgt. in 2012 and worked as a supervisor for frontline patrol until 2018 where I headed the Outreach Recruiting Team. In July of 2023, I was awarded the Member of the Order of Merit for Police forces by the Governor General of Canada. Currently, I am a proud Frontline Patrol Sgt in the west end of Ottawa. I have been a Part Time Professor in the Police Foundations Program at Algonquin College for over 16 yrs. Over the last 33 years, I have served the City of Ottawa’s residents with pride.