Constable Richard Scott MacKinley

Constable Richard Scott MacKinley was a policeman all his life. He first joined the force in Lieth, Scotland, at the age of eighteen. He came to Canada in 1912, first to Ontario and then the following year he came west. He was then a police officer in Port Coquitlam from 1913 to 1916. He was overseas with the 47th Battalion until 1919 and was again Chief of Police at Port Coquitlam until 1926 when he left the force there to join the B.C. Provincial Police. The next few years he served at Prince Rupert, Prince George, and McBride (1931-38). Here he became ill and spent twenty-two months at Tranquille. After his recovery, he rejoined the B.C. Police and was stationed at Enderby until he retired in 1947. MacKinley was a big, rough and tough man, who spoke with an accent. He was a well-liked man and worked hard at his job. He did more than just patrol the town. He was involved in fish and wildlife, deaths, births and marriages. He used to call it, "Hatch, match, and dispatch".