Every organization needs someone who can handle various roles. Kirk Kelusky has been that guy with the North Bay Police Service.
In fact, Police Chief Scott Tod even gives Kelusky credit for helping to build the third floor of the police service building.
"He has worked in every division in the service," said Tod.
"He was referred to as a builder of many things, of which, one is the third storey in our building. He was the organizational lead on that."
The North Bay Police Board accepted the Inspector's retirement on Tuesday morning during the monthly Police Services meeting which took place at police headquarters.
"I have a lot of activities and interests within the community and it is time to move on," said Kelusky, who spent 35 and a half years with the service.
Some of his highlights including working on some of the major crime investigations, such as the Sara Whitehead murder back in the late 1990s.
"They really affected the community deeply and affected us," he said.
"One of the things I had learned at that point in one of those investigations is just so much support we do have in the community and those things are humbling."
Kelusky says he always wanted to be a police officer. He also says as an officer, you need to have a sense of humour to survive.
"You need to have coping strategies but I worked with some of the best comics I think I have ever seen," he recalled.
"My co-workers loved to play pranks on each other and I think those are the things I am going to miss. That is what keeps us focused on our job and the ability to cope with some of the things that we do."
Kelusky, who has received the Governor General's exemplary police service medal during his time in North Bay, is expected to be officially recognized at the police gala scheduled for early January 2021.
