Lynda
Bowen
was a
member
of the
Hamilton
Police
Service
for 30
years
retiring
December
31st,
2002
with the
rank of
Superintendent.
She is
the
third
generation
of her
family
to serve
as a
police
officer
with the
Hamilton
Service
beginning
in 1920.
Her
husband,
David,
has also
retired
from the
Hamilton
Police
Service.
Her
first
assignment
in 1972
was to
the
Mountain
Station
as a
station
duty
officer.
At that
time the
female
prisoners
were
held in
the
cells at
that
Station.
Later
she
worked
in the
Youth
Branch,
Central
Patrol,
the
Court
Branch,
and
Human
Resources
and then
as the
commander
of
Administrative
Services
Division,
Divisions
#2
Stoney
Creek
and #3
Mountain.
She is a
stepmother
of two
and the
extremely
proud
grandmother
of 2
grandchildren:
Mackenzie
(almost
5 years
old) and
Mason
(almost
2 years
old).
Their
little
sister,
Emma is
due at
the end
of
November
2007.
Her
educational
background
includes
degrees
from
McMaster
University
and the
University
of
Toronto.
Her
policing
studies
include
courses
at the
Ontario
Police
College
and the
Canadian
Police
College
and she
is a
graduate
of the
F.B.I.
National
Academy.
She is a
member
of the
Ontario
Women in
Law
enforcement
(OWLE),
the
International
Association
of Women
Police (IAWP),
the
Ontario
Association
of
Chief’s
of
Police (OACP),
the FBI
National
Academy
Association
(FBINAA),
the
Hamilton
YWCA and
several
arts
organizations.
She is
currently
a
volunteer
with the
Ontario
Women in
Law
Enforcement
Advisory
Council
and the
Hamilton
YWCA
working
on a
Board
Alumnae
project.
As the
Chair of
the OWLE
Advisory
Council
for
three
years
she was
responsible
for
coordinating
the
selection
process
for the
annual
OWLE
award
selections.
Lynda
continues
to
assist
as
facilitator
advisor.
She and
her
husband
feel
lucky to
have
been
able to
do some
traveling
since
retiring
to
Italy,
Greece,
and
Portugal
and most
recently
to
Alaska
and the
Yukon.
As a
young
child
she
would
hear her
Dad and
Grandpa
tell
interesting
and
funny
stories
from
their
policing
careers.
As well,
her
Brownie
Leader,
Retired
Constable
Jessie
Stoneman,
was a
police
officer
with
Hamilton.
But
Lynda’s
goal was
to be an
archeologist,
a
geologist
or to
teach
history
and
English.
After 5
years of
university
studies
she
began to
look for
a
teaching
job and
at the
same
time
asked
her
father
about
the
qualifications
for
policewoman.
Initially
he
thought
she was
joking
and but
when he
realized
she was
serious
he asked
Jessie!
Lynda
applied.
The
Inspector
in
charge
of
recruiting
asked
when he
reviewed
her
application,
“Do your
mother
and
father
know you
are
here?”
Fortunately
for
Lynda at
about
the same
time as
she was
applying
Cst.
Mary
Staughton
was
submitting
her
resignation
and thus
there
was a
vacancy
for a
policewoman
because
in those
days the
number
of women
police
officers
in
Hamilton
was
restricted
to 8!
After
testing
and
interviews
Lynda
was
hired to
fill
that
vacancy.
Lynda
went on
to serve
an
exemplary
30 year
career
and
contributed
both her
professional
and
personal
time to
the
community
of
Hamilton.
She
continues
to be
active
with the
YWCA and
supports
many
other
community
organizations.
