Waterloo Regional Police announced Thursday morning that Mark Crowell has been promoted to be the new police chief.
Crowell, who previously served as deputy chief, will be replacing Bryan Larkin, who stepped down in July.
Crowell was introduced at Thursday morning’s police service board meeting by Regional Chair Karen Redman. She said he edged out a number of top-notch candidates after a cross-country search.
“Particularly, it was designate Chief Crowell’s commitment to pursuing a diverse and inclusive workforce, building a culture of respect in the workplace, and his commitment to the community partners, especially around supportive housing and addresses, homelessness, addictions and mental health, that made this choice an easy one to make,” Redman said at the meeting.
READ MORE: Waterloo Police Chief Bryan Larkin announces retirement
Crowell said he first moved to the area in the late-1990s, before joining the service in 2001.
“I joined this community in 1998 and it was the best decision I ever made,” he said.
“I haven’t looked back and this police service embraced me in 2001, and I’ve seen incredible growth, change and evolution, and that will continue.”
Crowell said that operational excellence and balancing the budget would be among his priorities going forward. The police budget has been a contentious issue over the past few years as Larkin asked for some heavy increases and some members of the community have asked for the funding to be diverted to social services.
“It’s no secret that we’re also entering into a budget season where setting a strong foundation for our financial and resource sustainability is a key platform for all of us right now as a police service and as a community,” Crowell said.
“We all know the economic pressures that we’re facing in society right now. We know that every citizen of this region is facing immense challenges. So to provide balance to the upcoming proposed budget for 2023 will be a key priority for our entire team, recognizing that there’s a balance to strike with the existing pressures.”
Locally, police have been seeking to establish better ties with minority communities and Crowell also sees bettering those connections as a priority going forward.
“Our service has been and will continue to be absolutely committed to establishing authentic, meaningful relationships with all citizens,” he said.
“Working with our equity diversity and inclusion manager, Geraldine Stafford, we’re just getting our legs into developing a very robust engagement plan to continue the great work that we’re doing, but also to ensuring that we’re listening, that we’re adhering to the expectations of our community.
Crowell said police need to be out in the region, attempting to create those bonds, which will help when there are issues locally.
“We are at the table with our sleeves rolled up, working with neighbourhoods, working with community groups, and establishing those strong connections in peace times so that when we have difficulties, when we have complex investigations and complex needs that emerge, that we have those relationships,” he said.
Crowell said the service needs to continue to innovate as it continues to be called into situations which don’t involve criminal investigations.
“It’s upwards of 80 per cent of our calls for service don’t involve necessarily a criminal investigation,” the chief designate told reporters.
“The services that we provide are complex, and so to ensure that we are always looking for new ways of doing business, we’re open to other community investments, other opportunities to partner, to provide service to the community.”
Aside from serving as deputy chief, Crowell has also served in a variety of other roles across his 22-year career, including executive officer to the chief of police, where he oversaw the expansion of the equity, diversity and inclusion unit as well as neighbourhood policing and investigations where he was involved in intimate partner violence.
Crowell also has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and Canadian studies from Wilfrid Laurier University as well as a master’s and PhD in sociology and legal studies from the University of Waterloo.
The service said he has also spent time volunteering on the boards of Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW) and Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region while also volunteering with Out of the Cold and Food4Kids Waterloo Region.
Larkin’s last day in charge was on July 3, with Staff Superintendent John Goodman filling his shoes until a replacement was found.
Goodman will continue to serve as chief until Crowell is officially sworn in on Nov. 24.