Sergeants Sarah Darraugh and Chris Miller have been appointed as the new operations managers at the Killaloe and Petawawa Ontario Provincial Police detachments respectively.

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Pembroke – Two veteran officers of the Killaloe detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have been appointed as the operation managers at the Killaloe and Petawawa detachments, both of which fall under the umbrella of the Upper Ottawa Valley (UOV) OPP.

It was announced recently by UOV OPP Inspector Stephan Neufeld that Sergeants Sarah Darraugh and Chris Miller had been appointed Staff Sergeants – Operations Managers at Killaloe and Petawawa, respectively. A native of Whitney, S/Sgt. Darraugh, a sergeant at Pembroke prior to her appointment, said the process began last November.

“I’ve been with the OPP just shy of 10 years, and previous to that, I was with the Toronto police for five years,” she said.

She admitted that at the beginning of her career, advancement in the ranks wasn’t something she had thought of.

“I came from a municipal service where I was invested in the crime side of policing. It wasn’t until I came over to the OPP and I had some good mentors who kind of led me in that direction and showed me my abilities in that aspect.

“So, thanks to some positive mentoring, and the boots on the ground experience, it took me in that direction,” she added. “And I just kind of went from that point.”  

She credited her father, Brent Darraugh, a constable with the Killaloe detachment for 25 years as being one of, if not the most positive mentors for her.

“He’s one of those pushing factors for me,” she stated. “He is very, very supportive.”

Unlike her, she said her father had no aspirations to advance in the ranks over his career.

“As much as we are both invested in the OPP, we’re definitely very different in our roles and in our attitudes,” she continued.

“He is very traffic and emergency response oriented, so his plate was kept full with that, so he had no real need to find a different direction. I actually think he was more nervous on my interview day than I was.”

She said she’s had some fun with her dad since her appointment.

“I’m technically not his boss, but I still like to say I’m his boss,” she said. “It’s pretty special to still have him on the force now.”

She also credited Inspector Neufeld for planting the seed of advancement over their last four years working together.

“I might have found my way, but I don’t know that I would have found as direct a path without his support and guidance.”

As operations manager at Killaloe, she is in charge of the officers at the detachment, the ongoing day-to-day operations, communicating with the local municipalities, attending community events, and a lot of human resources work.

As the person who oversaw the recent merger of the Killaloe detachment with UOV, she said like any process, there’s the good and the bad.

“But ultimately, I think it is absolutely good. It brought more resources, it created opportunities for members. I think it’s positive.”

She said like most industries and careers, the OPP could always use more employees, adding it has seen an increase in recruitment over the last six months. S/Sgt. Darraugh said it’s great to see S/Sgt. Miller receive the promotion to operations manager at Petawawa.

“Chris and I supported each other throughout this process. We both had the same goal, and it was nice to have somebody you could work with, and that wasn’t necessarily working against you, even though we were going for the same promotion.”

Even among the other applicants, there was a sense of respect and knowledge that everyone wants what is best for the organization, she said.

“Of course there’s competition, but we’re all respectful of each other’s career, and who is successful and not successful. I’m extremely humbled to be here,” she noted.

“I grew up in Whitney, went to high school in Barry’s Bay, so bringing me back to a community that has given me so much,” she said. “I’m excited to try and give them back the same amount.”

S/Sgt. Darraugh said she had the option of choosing between Petawawa or Killaloe or and chose the latter.

Inspired By Municipal Police Force

“I’m very excited,” is how S/Sgt. Miller described his appointment. A native of Deep River, he joined the OPP in April 2009 and was stationed at the Killaloe detachment until July 2024.

“Due to the amalgamation (with UOV) there was an opportunity for an acting sergeant role out of Petawawa to assist in the transition of the amalgamation of the two detachments,” he explained.

S/Sgt. Miller had approximately 22 months of previous experience as an acting sergeant in Killaloe and had been promoted to sergeant at Killaloe in 2021.

“Then I started in the acting staff sergeant rank in July up until the official promotion date of March 10th,” he said.

As he progressed through his career, he realized the senior leadership role was something he wanted to strive for and achieve.

“As more opportunities became available, I realized that it was something I really wanted to focus on for my own personal development, and then to support the organization, and the members of the detachment as a whole,” he remarked.

Although he had no family history in policing, his interest was fostered by his relationship with the Deep River municipal police force growing up

“Growing up in Deep River, the interactions that I had day-to-day through my youth with the municipal police force really strengthened my views on what a true community-based police officer can achieve,” he said.

He credited former Killaloe detachment commander, Pat Di Saverio, for opening his eyes to the possibilities that existed for him based on his personal drive.

“And since moving over to UOV, Inspector Neufeld has been a tremendous mentor on what leadership truly is in our organization.”

S/Sgt. Miller said the competition for the position is somewhat challenging knowing co-workers and friends are also involved in the process.

“It’s challenging, especially through the process because it is a competition, so you want to see your friend succeed just as much as yourself. But at the end of the day, it is still a job competition that everyone is competing for.

“But within our detachment, across the four buildings, there’s been no ill wishes through the competition, or even at the conclusion of it,” he added. “Everybody has been very supportive of the results.”

He said in his roles as sergeant, acting sergeant, and now staff sergeant, he has missed regular interactions with the people, due to the increase in administrative work.

“I truly miss just interacting with members of the community, the businesses, helping people in their time of need, just driving the roads taking in the scenery some days when responding to calls,” he said. “It is a change to the more administrative duties and you’re heavily tied to the laptop and cellphone in the office as opposed to the freedom that front line policing can provide a constable in their day-to-day activities.”

He is responsible for the daily operations at the Petawawa location and the overall operation of the detachment, ensuring members have meaningful work and planned objectives. He also ensures the proper messaging goes out regarding internal changes in the organization or the overall world of policing.

S/ Sgt. Miller said he and S/Sgt. Darraugh had a handshake agreement before their official appointments that if successful, she would take Killaloe and he would take Petawawa.

“We both wanted to end up in the places we currently are,” he remarked.