Chief Don MacLean began his policing career in 1993. He was appointed Chief of Halifax Regional Police in August 2024 – after serving as acting chief since fall 2023. Since 2020, he held the position of Deputy Chief of Operations, overseeing both the patrol and criminal investigation divisions.
Prior to serving as Deputy Chief, he was the Superintendent of the Patrol Division. Chief MacLean served as the first Diversity Officer for Halifax Regional Police from 2004 to 2006 and went on to become the Executive Officer to the Chief and later the Human Resources Officer.
A lifelong resident of Halifax, Chief MacLean is a long-serving member of the Board of Directors for St. John Ambulance Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island Council and an active member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police as well as on the Board of Directors for Phoenix Youth. He currently serves as the Co-chair of the Wortley Report Research Committee, which consists of community stakeholders and partners doing important work to address bias and systemic racism in policing. He’s also a member of the Board of Governors for the University of King’s College and has previously received an appointment as an Honorary Aide-De-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Chief MacLean was invested into the Order of St. John in 2017, and recently became the recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
He attended the University of King’s College and has continued his education through Saint Mary’s University Executive and Professional Development, Dalhousie College of Continuing Education, Canadian Police College and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.