After 35 years in policing, Cobourg police chief Paul VandeGraaf will be retiring in 2026.
The Cobourg Police Service Board announced on Wednesday (December 3) that board chair Adam Bureau had accepted Chief VandeGraaf’s intention to retire in June 2026, with his last day to be determined.
“Chief VandeGraaf is recognized locally and provincially as an innovative leader in policing,” Bureau says in a media release. “His legacy will be securing the rightful position of small and mid-sized police services as viable options for communities across Ontario.”
VandeGraaf is retiring from policing after a 35-year career that began in 1991 when he joined the Belleville Police Service as a front-line constable. He held a number of progressively responsible positions until he eventually became deputy chief in 2010. In 2014, he joined the Cobourg Police Service as the deputy chief under former chief Kai Liu and in 2019, following Liu’s retirement from municipal policing, was sworn in as the 13th chief of the service.
“Although I have always tried to put family first, there have been many, many times during my career where the job has been all-consuming and has deprived my family of a husband and a father,” Chief VandeGraaf says. “It is now time for me to step away from the office of Chief of Police, and devote my time to my family and other endeavours.”
Upon receiving Chief VandeGraaf’s intention to retire, the Cobourg Police Service Board initiated a replacement process that will include a nationwide search for the next Cobourg police chief.
