Alumni Magazine May 2021
Jacqueline Entwistle ’93 – Muskoka, Ontario
Jacqueline ”Jackie” Entwistle ’93 had a plan. She had done her research and knew her future career would require a university degree, so she elected to major in Geography, but with another purpose in mind. She would pursue a career in teaching if things didn’t work out with her first career choice – law enforcement.
Her focus in high school was to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.). Jackie learned that although the minimum requirement for acceptance into the R.C.M.P. training academy was a Grade 12 diploma, the unwritten rule was that a university degree was required. So, Jackie enrolled at Bishop’s.
At Bishop’s, Jackie joined the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and that involvement would play a critical role in how her career played out. She faced major disappointment after graduating because of an R.C.M.P. hiring freeze but a conversation with one of her sorority sisters led her in an alternate, yet related, direction.
“The O.P.P. is recruiting”, she told her, “and I’ve joined. You should look into it.”
The die was cast, and in 1995 Jackie began her career with the Ontario Provincial Police in Hornepayne in Northern Ontario. Three years later, Jackie was transferred to the Lanark (Perth) Detachment as a Constable, and seven years later she was on the move again, this time to Armstrong, another northern posting, but now as Sergeant, Detachment Commander.
Like any job, I have experienced ups and downs, but the positive days and moments far outweigh the bad.
– Jacquelilne Entwistle, ’93
Her two northern postings put her in direct contact with the local Indigenous communities. Jackie credits her minor in anthropology with providing her the foundation to better understand the history, dynamics, and challenges of the Aboriginal communities. These experiences led to her next posting in Orillia to work with the Indigenous Policing Bureau and then to Dryden, in 2009, where she was promoted to Staff Sergeant. Her career path, working with Aboriginal communities, culminated with a promotion to Provincial Manager, First Nations Policing, a position she would hold for seven years.
The last three years have seen her posted to Orillia, to work in Staff Training & Development and Traffic and Marine Operations, and now as Staff Sergeant in the Bracebridge Detachment. Her detachment has faced many challenges during the pandemic, from busloads of shoppers arriving from outside the community to shop at the local Walmart to non-locals returning to their cottages during pandemic travel restrictions. As front-line workers, the O.P.P. are under great pressure to enforce both provincial laws and provincial pandemic regulations.
Jackie career path will include one final transfer, to the Ottawa region, to be closer to family as she prepares for her retirement after 30 years with the O.P.P.
Jackie says, “Like any job, I have experienced ups and downs, but the positive days and moments far outweigh the bad.” She credits the small class sizes and personal attention at B.U. as two of the greatest contributing factors to her success in law enforcement. “The ability to communicate, listen and analyze are all crucial attributes needed in my job.” Jackie feels truly fortunate to be part of the Bishop’s community and to have many lifelong Bishop’s friends who have been there to support her throughout her career and life post B.U.
Jackie Entwistle ’93 lives in Muskoka, Ontario and can be reached at jacqueline.entwistle@gmail.com.
Click here to read the full Alumni Magazine from Spring 2021!
