Great expectations, massive challenges

Transparency. A willingness to work on relationships with marginalized communities. Addressing growing mistrust. An understanding of Winnipeg’s acute social ills.

The 2024 job requirements for Winnipeg’s next police chief go well beyond law enforcement. At least they do for a multitude of advocacy groups and others in the city who have voiced aloud their wish list of qualifications for a new top cop, who could be hired as early as next month.

In short, virtually everyone agrees that there’s no margin for error, given the increasing volume of concerns among residents and business owners about a rising tide of violent crime and safety issues.

The overwhelming consensus is that there’s too much at stake for the police board and city council to swing and miss with the hire.

Getting it right may mean different things to Winnipeggers, based on varying wants and needs, their own experiences with officers or the neighbourhood they live in.

A top priority for the city’s 19th chief in meeting the policing needs of an increasingly diverse population of more than 845,00 is repairing long-broken relationships with Indigenous peoples.

“They’ve got their work cut out for them,” said Kelly Gorkoff, an associate professor and chair of the University of Winnipeg’s criminal justice department. “The police chief is facing an uphill battle, but there’s a lot of opportunity to make change in terms of public safety.”

Abdikheir Ahmed, co-chair of the Police Accountability Coalition, which comprises several community organizations, said the job is the second most important in the city, behind only the mayor.

“It’s important they get this right, because it carries the safety of the population of Winnipeg on the back of this person, Ahmed said. “The police board needs to read the mood of the community.”

For many, that means someone who will make an effort to build — and, in some cases, rebuild — relationships, especially those who are marginalized or seen as over-policed.

“We need somebody who is going to be transparent to the community,” said Mary Burton, executive director and co-founder of Zoongizi Ode Inc., a non-profit that supports Indigenous youth and families. “We need somebody who is going to be honest and not toe the political line. We need more community accountability.”

“We need somebody who is going to be honest and not toe the political line. We need more community accountability.”–Mary Burton

The key is creating an agenda together, not one solely based on what police want, said Gorkoff.

“We’re at a point where there’s a deepening divide,” she said.

About a half-dozen applications to replace Danny Smyth — who retired last month after nearly eight years in the post — had been received a few days before a Sept. 6 deadline, Winnipeg Police Board chair Coun. Markus Chambers said at the time.

The board, to which the chief reports, is overseeing the hiring. Chambers did not respond to a request for an update this week.

He has said the board would prepare a short list for interviews likely to take place early this month.

The board will make its selection and submit the recommendation to council. Chambers said he expected council to vote on the proposed hire in November.

The job will bring a lengthy list of current and future challenges.

Among them, the Winnipeg Police Service is grappling with a record number of calls for service, including a surge in mental-health situations. Recent officer-involved shootings prompted questions about whether police should be left out of — or take a backseat role on — some calls involving people in crisis.

“The new chief has to come out and explain to community why it’s overwhelmingly racialized people (who died in police-involved shootings), and what they are going to do about it,” said Ahmed.

PAC is advocating for non-emergent and non-violent mental-health calls to be handled by crisis workers rather than police officers, similar to a program in Toronto.

The Manitoba government is conducting an extensive review of the Mental Health Act to see if there are way to de-emphasize the role of police and increase non-police options in the response to mental health crises.

The next chief will take over amid a rise in violent crime. A recent police board survey suggested public confidence in the WPS declined from 81 per cent in 2015 to 58 per cent in 2024.

The hire will face calls to help stamp out systemic racism in policing. He or she will also oversee the WPS response to the drug and homelessness crises.

Devon Clunis, who led the force from 2012 to 2016, agreed the next chief has an “incredible” opportunity to help set the city on a path toward positive change.

“I have a great deal of hope in our city, and I’m placing a great deal of hope in the next chief to lead us there and build a healthier city,” said Clunis, who was the first Black chief of police in Canada.

He said the perception of the relationship between police and the wider community is that it is significantly broken.

To rebuild, it goes “back to basics” — meeting with WPS front-line officers and civilian staff, and understanding each other’s perspectives, said Clunis.

“Be a bridge,” he said. “When we sit down and have meaningful conversations and dialogue, we realize we’re not that far apart. All that grows in silence is fear and division.”

The policing landscape has changed since Clunis retired. The COVID-19 pandemic brought interruption and isolation, while exacerbating many existing problems.

The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer fractured relationships with police everywhere, and either created or amplified existing distrust. The murder sparked a “defund the police” movement across the U.S. and Canada.

Clunis said Floyd’s death created trauma both in communities and within policing.

He cautioned Winnipeggers not to expect the next chief to solve the city’s problems on his or her own. That would be a recipe for failure, he added.

“This is going to require collective effort,” he said.

But the chief does have a significant role to play to rally everyone and create cohesion, he noted.

Ahmed said the successful candidate must listen and respond to community issues in a balanced way, accept concerns or criticism and use input to create a “road map” for the WPS. And must be committed to systemic and cultural change.

“Look in the organization and see how things have been done over the years, and how our demographic is changing and ask, ‘What can I do to serve our community better?’” said Ahmed. “A police chief is responsive to everybody’s needs, and meets them where they’re at.”

That includes the needs of front-line officers and civilian staff, who must reflect the city’s changing demographic, he said.

Strong ties with community and proactive crime prevention and investigation strategies were among the objectives or expectations laid out in a position profile created by recruiter Meyers Norris Penny LLP, which the city hired to conduct a nationwide search for candidates.

The profile put an emphasis on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

It said the chief is to be guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, principles set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ calls for justice.

Chambers has said Winnipeg residents who took part in public consultations told the board the chief must be a good collaborator who can work with Indigenous, newcomer and other communities.

Winnipeg has the largest urban Indigenous population in Canada. In the 2021 census, there were 90,990 Indigenous people in the city, making up 12.4 per cent of the population, Statistics Canada said.

Last month, Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels wrote to Chambers to express his expectation that the selection process, including the makeup of any decision-making panel, will be transparent, a news release said.

Daniels expects southern First Nations representation on the panel.

SCO, which represents 33 First Nations, called on the police board to hire a candidate who will change the culture within the 150-year-old WPS.

“There is no doubt that the attitude and actions of Winnipeg police continue to cause harm and mistrust, and that this has a significant impact on reconciliation as a whole,” Daniels said in the news release.

“If the police board is serious about reconciliation and rooting out racism, it will find a candidate with lived experience who will have the strength to stand up and say ‘no more.’”

Indigenous knowledge keepers should be included in the selection process, said Burton, who called for an end to the “status quo.”

“If the police board is serious about reconciliation and rooting out racism, it will find a candidate with lived experience who will have the strength to stand up and say ‘no more.’”–Grand Chief Jerry Daniels

Past promises of change were not fulfilled, she said, while suggesting the new chief review whether existing training for Indigenous and mental-health matters is adequate.

Burton said people in Indigenous communities don’t trust the police.

“People will call their families and friends before they call the police when something happens,” she said. “They want somebody to be there as support and an extra set of eyes.”

It will take a ton of effort to rebuild broken trust and confidence, she said.

According to the position profile, the board is seeking a “proven change leader” with experience of modernizing public-safety organizations and “establishing a collaborative, inclusive culture and leading transformational change.”

The ideal candidate should have at least 10 years of “diverse and progressively responsible” law enforcement experience, including at least 10 years in senior leadership and executive management, and a post-secondary degree in a related field.

Someone with passion, humility and authenticity is desired.

“If you are a visionary leader, have excellent oral, written and presentation skills and experience as a public spokesperson, demonstrate decisiveness and excellent judgment, political and financial acumen and have earned a reputation as someone who is credible, transparent and who drives results, you will want to explore this exciting opportunity,” the profile said.

The job comes with a salary of up to $313,643, plus benefits and a pension. Smyth was the highest-paid civic civil servant in 2023, earning $305,874.

Winnipeg’s hiring process has changed since Clunis was selected to lead WPS more than a decade ago. The police board did not exist at that time.

Clunis, who had a 29-year career in the WPS, said he first participated in a screening interview with a human resources company, which reviewed qualifications and work history.

It was followed by two interviews with a panel made up of city councillors and administrators.

He prepared a presentation detailing what he saw as the major challenges facing policing, and a plan to address them.

Police culture, relationships with corporate and political stakeholders, “unrealized” community engagement and dynamic demographic changes were at the top of his 10-point list.

“I detailed my understanding of the current state of each of those and the impact I felt it was having on our ability to achieve our best,” he said.

“I then articulated my plan for addressing each and the anticipated outcomes. There were followup questions related to the climate of the city and policing at the time, some of which are still relevant today.”

WPS has about 1,960 full-time equivalent positions and an operating budget of about $330 million, which is largely made up of salaries and benefits. The police budget accounts for more than one-quarter of the city’s overall operating expenses. It is projected to climb to $360 million in 2027.

Police spending has been a point of contention for some Winnipeg residents. Some believe some of the money for policing should be diverted to community resources, such as mental-health experts, housing, addictions supports and social workers.

WPS expects to end the year with a $4.3-million shortfall, largely because it doesn’t expect to meet a council-imposed target to save $7 million by Dec. 31.

The chief will also be tasked with reducing overtime spending. WPS expects to exceed its overtime budget by $2.3 million by the end of the year, with total spending of nearly $12 million.

WPS is making a case for more officers while it relies on OT to cope with a record volume of calls for help, and points to a steadily shrinking officer-to-population ratio.

The city is in a structural deficit, which means expenditures exceed revenues despite a growing economy.

In September, interim chief Art Stannard told the board he would like to see 78 more officers hired. The appeal came after the call backlog hit a high of 440 on Aug. 31.

“(That number of calls) is way past our ability to provide the services (Winnipeggers) need,” Stannard told reporters.

“(That number of calls) is way past our ability to provide the services (Winnipeggers) need.”–interim chief Art Stannard

He said that level of demand is daunting for the current complement of officers, who are overwhelmed. He linked the surge in calls to Winnipeg’s growth.

The service had 1,366 police officers in 2023, down from 1,463 in 2013, according to WPS data. Per 100,000 people, the city employed 172.9 officers in 2023, below the peak of 214.2 in 2012, according to Statistics Canada.

Chambers has said the city should consider hiring more officers, describing the reliance on overtime as unsustainable.

Clunis would welcome a reduction in police in the future, but he is in favour of spending more now to hire additional officers, given some of the city’s issues and increasing pressure on the current workforce.

“The situation is so dire right now that we need to increase so we can get this under control,” he said.

The increase in overtime is also attributed to a record number of protests and a months-long campaign to crack down on soaring shoplifting rates.

The campaign was recently extended through October with another $774,000 in provincial funding to cover the cost of OT for officers to patrol the Exchange District, Osborne Village and West End.

Aside from theft, business owners have grown tired of vandalism, violence and threats. The community is eager to see immediate action from the next chief.

“We do appreciate the role this individual is going to be stepping into is challenging,” said Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Loren Remillard. “There are no quick fixes.”

The chamber has identified three “qualities” that it hopes the next chief possesses, he said, noting the list is not an indictment of Smyth.

The first is understanding the business community’s needs for policing and crime prevention while ensuring WPS is responsive after a crime occurs.

Chamber members in the anti-theft campaign’s three areas of focus have attributed a drop in crime to foot patrols, said Remillard.

He said the successful candidate must be community oriented — someone who understands the role is being an ambassador as much as it is an administrator of WPS.

Remillard encouraged the next chief to meet with community, business and other groups outside of police headquarters.

“It’s being a presence in the community,” he said. “When we talk about police officers walking the beat, the police chief needs to walk the beat.”

The new hire will be invited to speak at a chamber event in the spring.

“We want to be there for the new police chief,” said Remillard. “This is an invitation to partnership and collaboration.”

The third ask is someone who supports and values WPS officers and civilian staff.

“Business needs an effective, strong police force,” said Remillard. “The person has to be a leader and rebuild a culture of respect and morale in the police service.”

Minneapolis set up an office of community safety after Floyd’s murder, to bring all public-safety functions — 911, emergency management, fire, neighbourhood safety and police — into a single department.

The aim was to create a “public health” approach to public safety in a bid to prevent crime and make encounters with police less confrontational.

Gorkoff said a similar rethink of the role of policing in public safety should happen in Winnipeg, where police are higher up in the hierarchy.

Police officers were considered social workers years ago, but times have changed, and alternative responses to some crises exist, she said.

“The chief is coming in at a pivotal moment,” she said. “There needs to be some rethink of the structure of policing. The police chief needs to be a leader to say, ‘We can’t do it all.’”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

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