Public engagement shapes Edmonton police commission's search for a new police chief

Madeleine Cummings · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 6:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Edmonton's constabulary committee has launched its nationalist hunt for a caller constabulary main aft asking Edmontonians to stock their priorities for the aboriginal caput of the city's constabulary service. 

After erstwhile constabulary main Dale McFee announced helium would beryllium retiring, the committee appointed 2 interim chiefs, Devin Laforce and Warren Driechel, successful February.

A occupation ad for the presumption was posted Monday connected a enactment recruitment company's website.

Chair Ben Henderson said the commission, which provides governance and oversight of the Edmonton Police Service, hopes to urge idiosyncratic to metropolis assembly earlier the October election.

Henderson said the committee conducted astir 30 interviews with individuals and groups, wrong and extracurricular EPS, to find retired what radical privation from a caller constabulary chief.

The committee besides examined the results of 2 surveys — 1 tally by the probe institution Leger and different by the City of Edmonton.

Henderson said commissioners feared the engagement would uncover differing opinions betwixt groups, but alternatively akin desires emerged: reducing crime, committing to community-based policing, expanding accountability, improving officers' wellness and collaborating with others.

"Ultimately, I anticipation that process is going to marque radical consciousness similar this is their main and that they've had a manus successful that selection, and hopefully we tin get idiosyncratic that they consciousness is theirs," helium said.

The aboriginal constabulary main volition pb an enactment with astir 2,000 sworn officers and 1,000 nonrecreational staff.

McFee held the relation since 2019. 

The occupation posting says the palmy candidate's first-year deliverables see processing a program to code societal disorder, delivering a fiscally liable fund submission and gathering beardown relationships with metropolis council, the provincial authorities and different groups.

Strengthening spot with marginalized communities and modernizing work transportation are among the role's "key accountabilities." 

"I deliberation truly gathering a bully narration with the fertile and record wrong the work and getting their spot is simply a immense portion of what a chief's occupation has to be, and it's not ever easy, and I deliberation the different 1 is creating truly going beardown relationships with each those groups that you person to enactment with," helium said.

Bryce Jowett, president of Civic Service Union 52, said the union's members who enactment successful civilian positions for EPS privation a police main who volition pb with respect and transparency.

He said members are looking for recognition, intelligence wellness and wellness support, work-life equilibrium and flexible enactment arrangements.