London, Ont.'s new police chief shares his emotional road to becoming top cop

The date June 26 was seared into Thai Truong's memory long before the day he took part in a ceremony to officially welcome him as London, Ont.'s new police chief. 

Truong became London's 21st chief of police, at a changing of command ceremony at RBC Place on Monday. 

In an emotional speech before a few hundred police officers, members of city council and community leaders, Truong spoke about what June 26 has meant to him since he was 11 years old.

 "Without any question, worst day of my life," Truong said about that day in 1990. 

"My father was driving home from work late at night. He had just finished one of his many jobs, and on that night, he was delivering Chinese food. He finished. He was coming home. His car was struck by a pickup truck travelling at a very high rate of speed, and he was killed."

Truong said his father's tragic death helped stir in him a desire to help people and pursue policing as a career. 

"I believe in leading from the heart with kindness and compassion," said Truong. "We have one life, and life is hard enough. For some, life is unimaginable, and we often forget that. We never really know what people are going through." 

It was only a coincidence the change of command ceremony fell on the anniversary of Truong's father's death. It was a date when the venue was available and worked with everyone's schedule. 

However, to Truong, the date chosen for Monday's ceremony added to its significance. 

"I've always believed everything happens for a reason," he said. "Every milestone in my life, good and bad, I have always wished my father was alive to be there for me. He is the reason I chose policing. He was killed on June 26, 1990, this same day that I now share with all of you." 

Truong takes over from the retiring Steve Williams and has become the first London police chief hired from outside its own ranks in 25 years. He's also the first London police chief who isn't white.

Truong's parents are Vietnamese, but fled their homeland to Thailand, where he was born. The family was able to come to Canada in 1981. 

"I have a loving family, good people to support me, and I still think of my father every day," he said.

Truong spent most of his career with York Regional Police, working as a deep undercover officer and developing a specialty in battling human trafficking.