The search is over.
Red Deer’s new top cop is Insp. Ken Foster, who is currently the officer in charge in St. Albert.
The city has been without a permanent police chief since Scott Tod stepped down in May.
Foster is a 25-year police veteran who moved up the ranks and across the country. Foster was in charge at the St. Albert RCMP detachment for a year. Before St. Albert, he oversaw 12 detachments in the Yukon, the Division Air Services, Forensic Ident Section, Traffic Section, Police Dog Section and Relief Unit. He also worked in Stettler.
Foster, 49, was born in Calgary and moved to Innisfail in high school. Foster said he has family who work worked in Red Deer and knows the region.
He said it is a great opportunity and he looks forward to being closer to family.
“Red Deer is a big detachment,” he said. “It’s a big challenge. It is a bit of an exciting challenge. There’s lots on the go there.”
He said he is looking forward to leading and working with the dedicated and hardworking members and staff of the detachment as we continue to work collaboratively with the community.
“The biggest challenge is the crime rate,” he said. “The crime rate is a symptom of lots of other issues – homelessness, poor economies contribute to that. To me those are the biggest challenges and making sure we are at the table and contributing, A lot of these issues are not owned by one agency or only one group. They are social issues. A lot of people play a role .. there is a good framework in place. There are a lot of groups trying to do good work.”
Insp. Heidi Wild has been the Acting Detachment Commander since May 6, 2016. “We are delighted to welcome Inspector Foster to Red Deer,” said Wild. “We’re a busy detachment full of dedicated police officers, with a strong focus on reducing property and persons crimes, working with youth and creating safer roads, and we look forward to benefiting from Inspector Foster’s leadership and experience.”
Foster will likely be in Red Deer in the fall after selling his house in St. Albert. No start date was confirmed.
RCMP Supt. Scott Tod, who joined the city’s detachment in May 2014, stepped down in May after announcing he would take a new gig with the city in June. He is currently the city’s policing manager.
Tod replaced former Supt. Warren Dosko who unexpectedly stepped down in December 2013 after less than three years on the job. Tod started with the Red Deer RCMP in May 2014.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com