Sergeant Kaleigh Paddon joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in August 2005 as a member of Surrey Detachment, later transferring to the Surrey Police Service (SPS). She has performed a variety of tasks in various units, including frontline policing, major crime, gang investigations, witness relocation, and cold case homicides. 

Health, fitness, nutrition, and well-being have been an integral part of Sgt. Paddon’s professional and personal life. She volunteers as a hockey and lacrosse coach and is certified as both a nutrition coach and a personal trainer. She has used her skills and knowledge to promote health and wellness throughout her career, and, in July 2021, Sgt. Paddon was placed in charge of the Wellness Unit at SPS and the creation of programs supporting both sworn and civilian mental and physical health programs. She is the first sworn officer in Canada to integrate an occupational stress intervention dog into a police unit for daily operations. Sgt. Paddon has also partnered with a subject matter expert to build a robust Peer Support Program and Critical Incident After Care team, with a goal of creating programs based on the science of trauma. 

Sgt. Paddon’s expertise and passion have been well received, and her training and leadership abilities were vital to the creation of a truly trauma-informed police agency. She continues to go above and beyond to focus on the care and support of her fellow officers and their families while modeling proactive mental health. 

“I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to create programs and bring awareness to the importance of both mental and physical health in the world of policing and first responders.”