Calgary’s new police chief, Mark Neufeld, has officially taken over his new position.
Chief Neufeld was sworn in Monday afternoon at the public change of command ceremony.
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Outgoing interim chief, Steve Barlow, handed over the reins in the traditional ceremony at the Calgary Central Library. It was the first ceremony of its kind to be held in a public space.
Among the priorities for the new police chief is a focus on domestic violence. Neufeld also plans to address the history of bullying and harassment from within the force.
“It isn’t everybody but it is somebody,” Neufeld said.
“At the end of the day, if we have employees coming to work to the Calgary Police Service that aren’t feeling respected — or they feel like they’re being bullied or harassed or supervisors are behaving inappropriately — that will be something important.”
“I would like to know where we are in 2019 and what exactly is the nature of bullying? When we are getting complaints of bullying and harassment, I already think we waited too long.”
Former police chief, Roger Chaffin, publicly exposed some of those concerns around bullying and harassment.
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The new chief said, before he took over the job, he spent a lot of time connecting with officers in all districts to get a better sense of their personal work experiences.
Neufeld said he is making a commitment to changing the culture both internally and enhance public perception. He said transparency is paramount.
“If we are going to have trust and confidence of the public, if they’re going to invest that in us, we need to be open enough to say, ‘Hey, here’s our business, warts and all, and here’s what we’re working on,’ and be able to demonstrate we are making progress to anybody’s satisfaction,” Neufeld said.
“If we aren’t, then shame on us.”
Neufeld was most recently the chief of the Camrose Police Service and has also worked in both Vancouver and Edmonton.
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Police chief commission chair, Brian Thiessen, said he’s confident the right leader was chosen.
“He is one of the most respected, experienced and educated police leaders in Alberta,” Thiessen said. “He is a people-first leader with decades of achievements. He values respect, fairness and compassion.”