Chief Constable Alexander “Sandy” Main

Born in Nairn, Scotland in 1863, Alexander D. Main immigrated to Canada in 1888. On June 12, 1897 he was appointed Police Constable for the City of Richmond, and on April 1, 1899, he was appointed Chief of Police of the Richmond Municipal Police Force.

On the morning of April 14, 1900, Chief Constable Main and his dog left his home, unarmed. He was conducting an investigation into a minor theft from Whiteside farm. When he did not return home by the following morning, a search was initiated. Two days later, searchers discovered a lead that brought them to a residence of two men living in a cabin east of Steveston. A search of the grounds led investigators to a shallow grave where Chief Constable Main’s body was found. A suspect was questioned at the scene who admitted that one of the residents had attacked and killed Chief Constable Main when he noticed some of the stolen items in the cabin. One male was charged with murder, entered a guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder, and was sentenced to death.

Chief Constable Main was survived by his wife, Maggie.

In 1996, Chief Constable Alexander Main was added to the Police and Peace Officer Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Richmond RCMP honours the memory of Chief Constable Alexander Main.