John Harrison, Coordinator of the Corporate Security and Risk Management program in the College’s Police and Public Safety Institute, has been involved in the police and security field for 36 years. He was born in Brantford and has lived in various parts of Canada before settling in Ottawa. After he graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Political Studies, he joined the Canadian Forces Security Branch. He remained in Ottawa after his final military posting.


In 1991, John came to Algonquin College to teach in the Law and Security Program and was excited when he was given the opportunity to develop the Corporate Security and Risk Management Program.


John approaches his classes with a problem-based teaching philosophy. “I come up with a problem, to which the students need to develop a solution,” explains John. “That’s what security is all about - to be prepared for the unknown.”

Along with problem-based teaching methods, John uses interactive learning techniques. He holds weekly discussion groups with the students about current security issues, most of which are drawn from newspaper headlines. “Students need to know about current events and learn from them,” explains John. “You cannot be a security professional without knowing what goes on in the world.”