LITTLE CURRENT—When retired Manitoulin Espanola OPP Sergeant Mike Corrigan first reported to the OPP Academy in Brampton in 1985 things were very different in the force.
“For sure,” he laughs. “For one thing there were no computers, everything was on paper. We had to write everything down in these little books.” These days the cruiser is online and connected through the Internet to a wealth of information. “There have been huge advances, both for the officer and the public.”
Sgt. Corrigan’s career has largely been in the North; his initial posting was to the Dowling Detachment in October 1985. “I transferred to Espanola in April 1987 to October 1992, but there were temporary summer postings to Wasaga Beach in 1987 and 1988.”
He went on to be transferred to Minaki in October 1992 where he served until August 1996, when he transferred to Mindemoya. He said he did a part-time stint in crime (the department, not the lifestyle) from May to July 1997 and then formally entered the Crime Unit as a Detective Constable in September 1997 until May 2010. A promotion to sergeant and shift supervisor came in May 2010 until August 2017. Since then until his retirement last month he served as an administrative sergeant.
As for retirement plans, Sergeant Corrigan plans to “get out on the golf course more” and is looking forward to spending time around the house and the yard (“there is lots to do”) as well as devoting more time to his family. Eventually he hopes to do some travelling.