Welcome to the Venture 13
Policetech Accelerator

About

The Policetech Accelerator™ at Venture 13 (V13 Policetech Accelerator) is a joint initiative of the Cobourg Police Service (CPS) and Northumberland CFDC that will develop a pipeline (from idea to implementation) of innovative policing technologies and best practices for community safety in Ontario and around the world. The V13 Policetech Accelerator will expound on the existing reputation of the CPS as a leading police service innovator, while creating an ecosystem for startups and a soft landing zone for innovative law enforcement companies into the Northumberland region.

The accelerator offers competitively selected researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators the opportunity to work with our accelerator team and the frontline CPS Innovation Platoon (a select group of innovative frontline personnel) to develop and validate new approaches for 21st century policing in a controlled and defined small-town, pilot-scale environment.

Innovations will have clear use cases, will be evidence-based and sensitive to community acceptance/complex social factors, future-proof, and will drive efficiency, cost-savings and value creation that strengthens financial sustainability as well as the overall operational excellence of the Cobourg Police Service.

The V13 Policetech Accelerator project will encourage innovation along a continuum from ideation to early-stage R&D to validation stage with collaborations and demonstration projects through two principal streams:

Current Pilot Project Partners

Right of First Deployment™

As a result of the dedicated support provided by our Founding Partner, the Cobourg Police Service, project participants understand and agree that the CPS will be granted a time-limited option to be the first police force in Canada to deploy any technologies developed through either of the V13 Policetech Accelerator Start-Up and Scale-Up streams.

First Right of Deployment demonstration projects allow participating companies to generate data and utilize the results of real-world application of their technology as evidence of product-market validation. This is expected to contribute to the potential for follow-on sales and business growth while also reinforcing the position of the Cobourg Police Service as a leader at the forefront of policetech innovation.

About the Chief

Paul VandeGraaf was appointed as the thirteenth Chief of Police of the Cobourg Police Service on August 15, 2019 by the Cobourg Police Services Board. Paul began his policing career in 1991 as a member of the Belleville Police Service, working as a front-line Constable. Over the course of his career, Paul has held a number of progressively responsible positions including; Community Policing Officer, Bike Patrol, Traffic Services, Criminal Investigations focusing on sexual assault and child abuse investigations, Uniform Staff Sergeant, Inspector and finally was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Police for the Belleville Police in 2010. On November 10, 2014, Paul was appointed as the Deputy Chief for the Cobourg Police Service.

Chief VandeGraaf is a member of the Canadian and Ontario Associations of Chiefs of Police. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the National Joint Committee of Senior Criminal Justice Officials and a Board Member for the Ontario Police Technology Information Cooperative (OPTIC).

Paul has always been and continues to be a strong believer of community volunteerism and has been an active Rotarian with both the Rotary Club of Belleville and now Cobourg. Paul served as Club President in Belleville in 2013-2014 being recognized with a Presidential Citation with Distinction and being awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship. Currently Paul is honoured to be a member of the YMCA Northumberland Board of Directors and Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre.

In September 2016, Paul was invested as a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces by his Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, then Governor-General of Canada. Chief VandeGraaf is committed to enhancing the effectiveness of operational policing services through effective deployment of resources in what has become known as “tiered policing”. This shared vision with the Cobourg Police Services Board will ensure that there are long-term strategies to build a strong, innovative and fiscally responsible Service for the Town of Cobourg.

Latest News

December 15, 2020
Read about Policetech Pilot Project Partner Monitio Essential receives Health Canada authorization for COVID-19 Medical Device. Click here.

November 30, 2020
V13 Policetech Accelerator: Creating an innovative approach for community safety through a Next Generation Safety Strategy Network – A first in Canada. Click here to read the official press release.

October 19, 2020
Read our latest release from ThermaScans about our Cell block pilot project release/podcast.

September 29, 2020
Robots to the Rescue: V13 Policetech Accelerator Develops Self-Sanitizing Sign-In System to Fight the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace. Click here to read the official press release.

September 3, 2020
Policetech Accelerator-backed thermal imaging startup ThermaScans commercializes new COVID-19 technology at Venture13, raises $200K in follow-on investment. Click here to read the official press release.

February 18, 2020
The V13 Policetech Accelerator received $100,000 in funding from the Rural Innovation Initiative – Eastern Ontario (RIIEO) with the support of FedDev Ontario. Click here to read the official press release from the Government of Canada.