After more than 35 years of service, RCMP Staff Sergeant Bruno Deveau is retiring from the force.
"I couldn't have picked a better post than Queens detachment to finish my career," he said in an interview last week.
Staff Sgt. Deveau, who has been the commanding officer at the Liverpool post since the fall of 2006, will be hanging up his holster on March 31.
"Since day 1, I've called Queens County the best kept secret in the province," said Staff Sgt. Deveau."Not just for the location but for me the people and type of crime and only dealing with one council makes my job much easier."
A native of Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Staff Sgt. Deveau began his RCMP career in 1974 with postings throughout Nova Scotia as well as the RCMP Training Depot Division in Regina as an instructor.
While Staff Sgt. Deveau said he was never shot or had to fire his weapon, his career was varied, from airport security and special investigative sections, to patrols and plain-clothes detail.
Recalling one plain-clothes assignment, Staff Sgt. Deveau said he left home not knowing the destination and ended up calling his wife Wanda from Quebec City. "That's where we ended up," he said.
Making case law in R vs. Oickle, where Staff Sgt. Deveau was able to able to charge and convict a volunteer fire fighter in an arson case in the Annapolis Valley was another career highlight for him. "I worked on that file for months," he said.
"Locally the file that brought satisfaction was we were able to solve and convict a person for the school fire in Caledonia," said Staff Sgt. Deveau.
It hasn't been all work for Staff Sgt. Deveau, who had the opportunity to meet with Canadian hockey icon Bobby Orr while on Red Serge duty at a ball in Boston.
As his career winds down Staff Sgt. Deveau has mixed feelings. "I still enjoy coming to work. I'm going to miss the people I deal with and the employees. I still love a challenge, but I'm looking forward to moving on," he said.
