Regina’s Chief of Police Evan Bray said he will retire in June.
He announced his intention to retire on Tuesday.
“Being Regina’s Chief of Police has been the biggest honour of my professional life! I truly value the friendships and relationships I have had the opportunity to make over the years,” read Bray’s tweet Wednesday morning.
Bray has been with the Regina Police Service for 28 years, and has been the police chief for seven of those years.
“I will take the opportunity for a formal thank you closer to June 30th, which will be my last working day. I’m excited to have no immediate plans upon retirement and take some time with family and friends before charting the next part of my life!”
When asked why he was retiring now, Bray said in the world of policing there’s always work to be done, listing many of the projects that the police service has been working on.
“Knowing that we’ve had some completed, some are well on their way, and knowing what incredible staff we have here, a capable staff to take that on, this felt like a good time,” Bray said.
“We’re never free of challenges for sure, but right now just feels like a time where there’s opportunities for someone new to step in and take it to the next level.”
He said things have changed so much in policing, noting they’ve had to adapt to so much.
Bray said he wanted to be a police officer since he was five-years-old, but that his career started in broadcasting working in radio and television.
“I’ll tell you, I’ve said this many times, in my policing career, certainly in the last few years in this role, that broadcasting career, which gave me the ability to focus on making relationships with people in the community, focus on communication and how to talk to people, it was to me a foundation that set me up for success in many ways.”
He said policing is about building relationships within the community.
Bray said even though he has no immediate plans after his retirement, he doesn’t plan to spend the rest of his days in a rocking chair.
“I’m sure I’ll find something. At this point it’s really just about closing off this journey, and ensuring that when I do walk out of here at the end of June, that I’m leaving this organization as poised for success as I can.”
He said there are people within the organization that are more than capable of taking on his position.
Bray said as an officer, you serve three groups of people: the community, the officers you work with, and your family.
“I’m humbled everyday by our cops,” Bray said as he started to get choked up.
“I think the last few years have been tough on policing. And I feel it the most through our cops. Because it’s not an easy job, and you’re often being asked to make tough decisions, and these people who I consider to be like brothers and sisters are doing it day in and day out.”
He said the role of an officer can make it very easy to forget your family.
“It’s important that you don’t lose that side of your identity as well.”