Former Kentville Police Chief Mark Mander said he believes Ceccetto will not only be the first female chief for Kentville, but also the first in Nova Scotia.
Ceccetto will join town staff on Oct. 2. She brings 27 years of experience with the Halifax police organization at all levels of police operations and administration.
Sgt. Carolyn Nichols, who is president of Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement (AWLE), indicated that to her knowledge Cecchetto will be the first female chief in Nova Scotia.
Nichols congratulated Cecchetto on her appointment and said the group is looking forward to working with her as chief of Kentville police.
Her appointment comes at the conclusion of the selection process, which has been approved and endorsed by both the town’s police commission and town council.
Currently Cecchetto serves as the Halifax police service’s information management officer. In this role, she oversees Integrated Emergency Services (911 Public Service Answering Point and dispatch centre for Halifax Regional Police, Halifax District RCMP and Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency Service), police technology, courts, records and traffic support services.
She is also responsible for managing the police records management system, the police radio system and the third party contract with Commissionaires Nova Scotia.
Ceccetto began her policing career in 1990 upon graduation from the Atlantic Police Academy. She has worked in both patrol and administration, including stints in the mounted division, professional standards, community relations and crime prevention, as well as training.
While serving in the training section, Inspector Cecchetto was the course coordinator for the 2010 in-house Police Science Program and was also responsible for leading the creation of in-house training and securing specialized training. She is also one of the organization's Incident Commanders. Prior to her appointment as the information officer, she served as Divisional Commander of West Division.
Many of Cecchetto’s positions, according to the Halifax police services web site, have allowed her to work with the community to improve both quality-of-life issues and the resiliency of the community and youth.
For five years, she was heavily involved in the HRP/RCMP Cops ’n Kids program, which created opportunities for youth to interact with police in a positive setting and grew to include a weekend camping trip for youths in Grade 7 in Halifax Regional Municipality.
Outside of work, she has organized equestrian events and is currently working towards becoming an Equestrian Canada Steward. Checcetto has pursed educational opportunities through both Dalhousie University and Saint Mary’s University.
