Keith Richards is a 32-year veteran of the Durham Regional Police Service, retiring in 2021. He worked throughout the Service during his career, but found his calling when he entered the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion portfolio more than a decade ago. 

Keith spent five years building the unit from the ground up, earning the reputation across Durham Region as an expert in the field. 

While working in other units across the organization, his expertise was called upon once again, becoming the Diversity Equity and Inclusion trainer. 

Keith was the lead trainer for their Fair and Impartial Police training, which is an anti-racial profiling learning course. He has also instructed on several topics including Street Check Legislation (Carding) training, Privilege training, Inclusive Language training and Implicit Bias training. Keith was also instrumental in building diversity and inclusion strategies, along with inclusive policies and procedures for the organization.

During his time at DRPS, he was recognized on numerous occasions, including receiving the Champion Against Homophobia and Transphobia from Pflag Canada, Trent University’s Black History Local Hero Award and a Durham Hero Award for saving a man’s life. 

Since his retirement, his expertise has been put to good use, providing training for police services across the Greater Toronto Area. Keith has been a guest speaker at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion summits and Hate Crime Conference.