Latest news with #DaleMcFee
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Public engagement shapes Edmonton police commission's search for a new police chief
Social Sharing Edmonton's police commission has launched its national search for a new police chief after asking Edmontonians to share their priorities for the future head of the city's police service. After former police chief Dale McFee announced he would be retiring, the commission appointed two interim chiefs, Devin Laforce and Warren Driechel, in February. A job ad for the position was posted Monday on a leadership recruitment company's website. Chair Ben Henderson said the commission, which provides governance and oversight of the Edmonton Police Service, hopes to recommend someone to city council before the October election. Henderson said the commission conducted about 30 interviews with individuals and groups, inside and outside EPS, to find out what people want from a new police chief. The commission also examined the results of two surveys — one run by the research company Leger and another by the City of Edmonton. Henderson said commissioners feared the engagement would reveal differing opinions between groups, but instead similar desires emerged: reducing crime, committing to community-based policing, increasing accountability, improving officers' wellness and collaborating with others. "Ultimately, I hope that process is going to make people feel like this is their chief and that they've had a hand in that selection, and hopefully we can get someone that they feel is theirs," he said. The future police chief will lead an organization with approximately 2,000 sworn officers and 1,000 professional staff. McFee held the role since 2019. The job posting says the successful candidate's first-year deliverables include developing a plan to address social disorder, delivering a fiscally responsible budget submission and building strong relationships with city council, the provincial government and other groups. Strengthening trust with marginalized communities and modernizing service delivery are among the role's "key accountabilities." "I think really building a good relationship with the rank and file within the service and getting their trust is a huge piece of what a chief's job has to be, and it's not always easy, and I think the other one is creating really going strong relationships with all those groups that you have to work with," he said. Bryce Jowett, president of Civic Service Union 52, said the union's members who work in civilian positions for EPS want a police chief who will lead with respect and transparency. He said members are looking for recognition, mental health and wellness support, work-life balance and flexible work arrangements.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘We need to make sure we get it right': Police commission looking for new Edmonton police chief
While former Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee takes on his new role as deputy minister of Alberta's executive council and head of the Alberta Public Service, a search for a new chief is now underway. Ben Henderson, chair of Edmonton's Police Commission (EPC), said the hunt for a permanent chief will be more extensive than what they've done in the past. The commission conducted multiple surveys and more than 40 in-person engagement sessions with interested parties and community members to find out what kind of chief the city needs as it enters a new era. 'What was really encouraging was that what we heard was a lot of agreement about what people want to see in their new chief as we go forward,' said Henderson during an interview via Zoom teleconference Monday. He said reducing crime and improving public safety are still top of mind for many people that were consulted, but transit safety and homelessness are also big concerns. 'If people don't use transit because they don't feel safe, that has huge impacts on the city,' said Henderson. 'If they don't go into the core of our city because they're not feeling safe, that has huge impacts.' But working with suburban communities with different profiles and interests could be a challenge for the new chief. '(We want to see) commitment to community policing and a connection between the police and community and continuing to strengthen that,' said Henderson, adding that ongoing issues of transparency and accountability are also things that came up during conversations with stakeholders. 'There was a feeling that the service is moving in the right direction, and we just need somebody who's going to keep on pushing it forward after what's been a pretty trying five or six years for the city, particularly with the police.' He said the COVID-19 pandemic impacted policing as well as Edmonton's homeless population with an increase in drug use. He added that conversations around the murder of George Floyd during the pandemic 'rattled' some people's relationship with police, but he thinks it's 'well on the mend.' Two EPS officers are currently sharing the role of interim police chief while a permanent chief is sought. 'We are not going to rush it. It's more important that we get the right person,' said Henderson. 'Now that we know what we're looking for, that magical person, if we can find them, will be fabulous. But that's the next challenge.' While applications are open, the commission is hoping to get a recommendation from city council, which will ratify the new chief by their last meeting in September ahead of the municipal election. 'The new chief will take the service where it's going to go next … and we need to make sure we get it right.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sasha Pietramala
National Post
08-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
'Stability and calm': Former Edmonton police chief Dale McFee tackles new challenges as top civil servant
Dale McFee was anxious about buying his first large property, a strip mall in Prince Albert, Sask., where he worked as a police officer. Article content Article content Based on his successful four-year stint with the Prince Albert Raiders, McFee had a good name in hockey-mad P.A. but he didn't have the money for such a large purchase, so he went to an older local business person, a mentor, to convince him to invest. McFee was well into his lengthy presentation when his mentor stopped him, putting his hand over McFee's prepared papers. Article content 'Dale,' he said, 'we know you'll get it done. We're investing in you. We have the faith in you.' Article content Article content The two bought the property. In the end, his partner made a lot of money and McFee made some. But what McFee took from the meeting was more valuable, the lesson about the need to properly assess people, to recognize their talent, then to put faith in those who have demonstrated they can get the job done, just as his mentor did with him. Article content 'What I've seen since I've been here is there's a lot of good people, a lot of strong people, a lot of really bright people,' McFee told me in an interview, 'and it's to try to get them into the right spots to actually create the difference. Article content McFee has spent his life building and leading. He has coached teams and led organizations for many decades. He did it as a player and leader on the expansion Prince Albert Raiders, helping to take them to a national championship in 1985. He did it as a coach in minor hockey and soccer. He did it as Edmonton police chief, helping solve one of the most vexing problems the city has faced in years, the lawful and humane dismantling of street encampments. Article content Article content Few of these accomplishments came without controversy, and now McFee is heading into another hotbed of conflict and controversy, taking on the lead role in Alberta's government as the deputy minister of executive council and head of the Alberta Public Service. Article content Article content The job is a whirlwind of dealing with different issues, people and personalities. Article content 'It starts with a day where you're talking tariffs, and then you're talking health care, and then you're talking border, and you're talking caribou preservation and everything in between, and that's before lunch,' McFee said. 'And I think what I bring to the job is stability and calm.' Article content McFee, who was in policing for three decades, worked his way up to be chief of the Prince Albert Police Service, then president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. He spent six years as Saskatchewan's deputy minister of corrections and policing. He was also senior deputy minister of transformational change in Saskatchewan, looking at fixing any system that needed major updates. Article content He learned that to deal with complex events, the key is to dig into things in order to grasp what is going on. 'Don't panic. Figure out what it is that you're actually going to do to provide the solution and figure out the path forward. And part of that for me is just to build talent and to build leadership within the organization.'
