Lorne Zapotichny joined the New Westminster Police as Deputy Chief Constable on February 1, 1998 and was sworn in as Chief Constable on August 01, 2000. Prior to joining the New Westminster Police Service, Lorne completed 30 years of service with the R.C.M.P. At the time of his retirement from the RCMP, Lorne was the Officer In Charge of the 160 member Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam Detachment where he demonstrated a strong commitment to community policing. With the assistance of many people, numerous new policing initiatives and strategies were implemented.

Lorne holds a B.A. from Notre Dame University of Nelson and a LLB (Bachelor of Laws) from the University of Victoria. Lorne's previous experience and positions with the R.C.M.P include: OIC Staffing & Personnel for B.C., Commercial Crime Section (Vancouver & Winnipeg), Adjudication Board Officer (Ottawa), Emergency Response Team Commander (Winnipeg), Recruiting (Victoria), and General Duty throughout the Kootenays. Of his 30 years with the RCMP, 25 years have been in the Province of B.C. On the personal side, Lorne enjoys golfing, boating, skiing, carpentry, mechanics and being a family man with his wife and two daughters.