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The Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners announced their success today in searching for a new Chief for the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) — Robert Davis was most recently Chief of Police in Brampton, Ontario, and brings 34 years of law enforcement experience to his new role.
"Chief Robert Davis stood out as a leader who understands the importance of building relationships and leading with both compassion and foresight," said Mayor James Murdock, Chair of the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners.
"We are excited to welcome Chief Robert Davis, and we are confident in the innovative, responsive leadership he will bring to help ensure a safe and vibrant community."
The announcement at City Chambers was well-attended, with Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod (also Justice Minister and Attorney General) there, alongside leadership from the MJPS including Deputy Chief Rick Johns, who has been Acting Chief to this point. Colonel Adam Carlson, commander of 15 Wing, was there, and most of city council.
"This was a rigorous and inclusive effort, said Councillor Patrick Boyle, a member of the board of police commissioners. "Chief Davis emerged as the clear choice to guide the service into a new chapter, one grounded in community collaboration, accountability, respect, and professionalism."
Jay-D Haughton, public information and strategic communications manager with the MJPS, said the four-month hiring process had been led by Boyle in co-operation with Human Edge Recruiting, based out of Edmonton.
"They used a recruitment service called Human Edge to conduct an executive search to identify the next Chief of Police for the Moose Jaw Police Service. There was a lot of due diligence, it was very comprehensive, and they were able to identify a short list of qualified individuals.
"Human Edge has a lot of expertise, spanning to executive roles, leadership positions, managerial, professional, and technical, and they were that service that was hired to conduct the search and assist the board with those qualified candidates."
Former Chief Rick Bourassa announced his retirement last September after 10 years with the MJPS.
Chief Davis is not free from past controversy. During his time as Brantford chief of police, he was accused of bullying and lowering morale. He told media "I am OK with" not being liked by everyone on the force, as his job was to modernize the organization, not make its officers happy. He encouraged officers who felt he was a bully to raise their concerns through the workplace harassment policy.
In the posting before that, as chief of the Lethbridge police force, he was harshly criticized by Sgt. Jay McMillan, who was president of the Lethbridge Police Association for the four years of Davis' tenure.
McMillan told media:
"Our collective experience with Chief Davis was a disaster. ... From a leadership standpoint, I would call it the darkest era I’m aware of in LPS’s history. It probably wasn’t just a morale problem but a morale crisis. ... It was a horrible, horrible time for us and we’re thrilled to be out from under it.”
Asked about the past complaints against Davis, Murdock said the new chief would be working closely with Deputy Chief Rick Johns and with the MJPS membership as a whole to advance the objectives of the service.
"Everything was completely discussed and talked about," the mayor assured, "and it's important to remember ... that there may be a (negative) story that follows an individual or a person, but there's also very good ones too. And those communiques were held with personnel from Lethbridge, and we felt very comfortable with the feedback that we were getting."
"It is an honour to be chosen to lead the Moose Jaw Police Service," Chief Davis said in a short, pre-written statement. "I want to thank the Board of Police Commissioners for this opportunity. I am committed to working alongside the dedicated members of this police service and engaging openly with the community and stakeholders as we build a safer, stronger Moose Jaw for all."
Davis was not available for questions. Haughton said they are giving the new chief time to adjust to the new role, and that he would be available for questions in September when he is formally sworn-in.
He begins official duties on August 29.