Nearly a week after Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) chief announced his retirement, the board of police commissioners is looking toward future leadership while some residents would rather focus on community safety.
The PAPS Board of Police Commissioner Chair says Chief Jonathan Bergen was a great leader for the Saskatchewan city.
“Jonathan Bergen worked very hard at building relationships in the community,” said Janet Carriere. “He was willing to learn and to understand.”
Carriere said she understands why he chose to step down and that the next chief will need to take on the responsibilities outlined in the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) report into the death of 13-month-old Tanner Brass, which Chief Bergen said he couldn’t accept. A Saskatchewan investigation has concluded PAPS officers were neglectful of their duties the day baby Tanner died.
On May 18, Bergen announced his retirement “to protect discipline process” following an investigation report released on police response to the child’s death.
“There has been much public attention to this case,” the statement said. “Now that this Investigation Report has been completed, the Public Complaints Commission has concluded its work and involvement, and under legislation, the matter comes back to the Chief of Police – to me – to consider appropriate disciplinary action. It also comes back to me, as Chief, to decide if further relevant evidence may be available to supplement the evidence the Report has identified.”
Bergen said was necessary to give serious consideration to his role in that process, and that stepping down was a “difficult personal decision” in the best interests of the PAPS and the community.
On May 24, PAPS communications released a statement regarding unauthorized posts on PAPS platforms following the removal of Chief Bergen’s farewell video.
“There were posts and comments made that were not authorized by the Prince Albert Police Service. These posts and comments reflected personal opinion and have since been removed,” the statement said. “We have received inquiries about the Media Coordinator’s employment status. PAPS can confirm that the Media Coordinator has resigned from the position.”
Residents in Prince Albert are unsure whether a new chief will make a difference.
“They didn’t do (anything), they never do (anything),” said Crystal Goph-Fourstar.
“The way our people are treated is a joke,” said Wanda Fourstar.
The two Fourstars are urging the new PAPS chief to take a closer look at the city and its members.
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“(Make) PA safer at night,” said Goph-Fourstar. “I guess making sure there’s no violence. There’s lots of violence in PA.”
“(To have) safer streets, more Indigenous people on the force and no police brutality might be nice,” said Fourstar.
Carriere says the findings from the commissioner’s report are concerning and she’s calling for a stop to the backlash the service has received.
“We have to stop this back-and-forth stuff that’s been going on. We need to just move on and move forward in a positive way,” said Carriere. “We always learn from mistakes and unfortunately, this was a very devastating mistake … I think our community can rest assured that they are safe in the hands of the officers of the Prince Albert Police Service.”
Bergen’s retirement officially commences on May 31.
– with files from Global News’ Kabilan Moulitharan
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