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Membership Classes

Membership in the association is divided into four classes – active, associate, life and honourary.

Note: Please refer to the Application Process section for details on how to become a CACP member.

Active Member: A sworn member currently serving as a senior representative in a Canadian police service or law enforcement agency. The following persons are eligible to be an Active Member:

  • Chief, Chief Constable, Deputy Chief, Associate Chief, or Assistant Chief
  • Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, or Deputy Commissioner
  • Director, Deputy Director, or Assistant Director
  • Director General, Deputy Director General, Associate Director General
  • Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, or Staff Superintendent
  • Inspector,  Chief Inspector, or Staff Inspector
  • Bureau Commander, Region Commander, or Commanding Officer of a Division
  • The civilian equivalent of any of the foregoing First Nations, municipal, regional, provincial or federal police forces in Canada
  • Public and private agency representatives with policing related positions at a level equivalent to an Inspector or civilian senior manager
  • Canadian Forces Provost Marshal and Deputy Provost Marshal, and Senior Military Police Officer in charge of Military Police training delivery.

Associate Member: A person who is not actively serving in a Canadian police service, but is qualified in police or other law enforcement activities. The following persons are eligible to be Associate Members:

  • Any serving officer of a police force legally constituted by an act of Parliament or of a provincial Legislature, or a by-law of a municipality, provided that:
    • they are not a member of the same association, brotherhood, or union as are constables or noncommissioned officers of their police force; and
    •  their Associate membership is recommended by their chief officer;
  • The chairperson or president of a police commission, board or committee, legally constituted, and any serving member thereof upon the recommendation of the chairperson or president;
  • The chief officer, deputy or assistant chief officer of an organization in Canada, not eligible for Active membership and engaged full time in policing or in corporate security;
  • The director, deputy director and regional director of any federal government department engaged in enforcing the laws of Canada and serving in Canada;
  • A person, other than an appointed and sworn peace officer, qualified by professional attainment in police administration, police science, police training, or in related fields.

Life Member: An Active or Associate Member in good standing for a period of five (5) years at the time of their retirement from service for reasons of voluntary separation, age, health, or superannuation. Life members are elected by a majority vote at an Annual Conference, with the exception of members in good standing vacating the office of President of the Association. They automatically become Life Members.

Honourary Member: Any policing official not eligible for Active or Life membership who has rendered distinguished service in policing or any person of distinction in Canada or elsewhere. Honourary Members may be elected by a majority vote at an Annual Conference.

Membership Fees

Membership in the CACP is voluntary, so it’s important for us to ensure that you see the value in your investment. We have been listening to our membership and are continuously striving to expand and improve our service offer so that the CACP is providing you with the benefits that meet your needs and expectations.

CACP membership fees are as follows:

  • Active Membership: $524.00 + GST/QST/HST
  • Associate Membership: $524.00 + GST/QST/HST
  • Life Membership: Free
  • Honourary Membership: Free

As a non-profit professional association, membership fees represent one of a number of revenue sources to help support the projects, initiatives and administration of the CACP:

  • Continuing Professional Learning: The CACP hosts a number of educational opportunities (e.g. conferences, workshops, webinars, etc.) on policing and police leadership topics for which the association receives a portion of the registration fees.
  • Advertising: The CACP offers companies an opportunity to promote their product and/or service by purchasing ad space in CACP publications and on the CACP website. Vendor space and promotional opportunities are also available at CACP conferences and events.
  • Sponsorships: The CACP offers companies an opportunity to work with and financially support specific CACP projects and initiatives (e.g. conference, research project, etc.) in return for agreed-upon year-round, seasonal or timely access to CACP members.  

Application Process

Any person qualified to become an Active Member may complete and submit the application form to the CACP National Office.

Any person qualified to become an Associate Member may complete the application form but must obtain the endorsement of two (2) active members in good standing residing or serving within the same province or territory.

Any person qualified to become a Life Member must be elected by a majority vote at an Annual Conference, with the exception of members in good standing vacating the office of President of the Association. They automatically become Life Members.

Any person qualified to become an Honourary Member must be elected by a majority vote at an Annual Conference.

All applications for Active or Associate membership are referred to the CACP’s Credential Committee where a majority vote recommends acceptance of an application. The application is then submitted to the Board of Directors where a majority vote approves the recommendation.

The completed application form is to be forwarded to the CACP National Office:

Via regular mail:

Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
300 Terry Fox Drive, Suite 100
Kanata, Ontario   K2K 0E3

Via email:

Your application will be processed and you will be informed of the decision by the CACP via email within an estimated two (2) weeks of receipt of your application.

For assistance or for more information, please contact the Membership Coordinator at 613.595.1101.