Colon sworn in as MFNPS chief

Jason Colon was officially sworn in as chief of the Manitoba First Nations Police Service in its new headquarters near Brandon on Tuesday, with provincial and First Nations officials praising his leadership.

“I know that there is no question that today we are swearing in the right person for the job,” Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said.

“(Colon’s) work focused on building safe communities, on strengthening relationships and on ensuring that policing is delivered with respect, with fairness and with integrity.”

The swearing-in ceremony marked the first event held at the newly built Waywayseecappo Convention Centre off Highway 10 near Brandon.

With his family filling the first two rows of seats, Colon addressed the audience of more than 100 people, including members of the MFNPS, Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP.

“Our work is more than policing — it’s about building relationships with respect and understanding. We walk with our community. Not ahead, not behind, but side by side,” he said.

Colon began his policing career in 1997 and has served with several police services, including the Dakota Ojibway Police Service, Kee Tas Kee Now Police Service, Winnipeg Police Service, Blood Tribe Police Service and MFNPS.

He was appointed as chief of police in September last year, following the death of former MFNPS Chief Doug Palson.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta administered the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance to the new chief, who took the oaths in the presence of an eagle feather.

In welcoming the chief, Wiebe congratulated Colon on behalf of the province and acknowledged the “legacy and life” of Palson, whom he described as a friend to himself and many in the room.

“I know we can all feel (Palson’s) presence as we move forward into the next phase,” he said, adding that it’s been inspiring getting to know Colon, who had guided the police service during a time of transition.

“(Colon) didn’t just keep us moving, he didn’t just keep the seat warm. He started the important work of bringing people together,” Wiebe said. “He understands that effective policing means confronting crime head-on while staying grounded in accountability and fairness and ultimately in service to the community.”

Diane Pelly, who represents Opaskwayak Cree Nation in the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council Police Commission, said Colon has led the police service with grace and strong leadership.

She said OCN is the furthest north of all the areas MFNPS covers, but during Colon’s leadership, the community has been able to build up its police force.

“We’re … farther away in distance from a lot of southern nations, but we also have very common issues, and Jason has been leading in many ways and supporting the work that we do as a nation,” Pelly said.

MFNPS covers 11 other communities, including Swan Lake First Nation, Waywayseecappo First Nation, Long Plain First Nation, Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, Canupawakpa Dakota Nation, Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Gambler First Nation, Dakota Plains First Nation and Fisher River Cree Nation.

Tréchelle Bunn, who is the chief of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation and MFNPS’s portfolio holder, said it’s been a pleasure working with and getting to know Colon.

“We’ve kind of been ‘chiefs’ for about a year together,” Bunn said with a laugh. “One thing that really stands out to me about Chief Colon is his commitment and his prioritization of creating reciprocal and transparent and accountable relationships with the leaders of our communities and our membership.”

She said this speaks to the direction Colon will lead MFNPS, and she “wholeheartedly” believes all the communities will be better for it.

In an interview after the ceremony, Colon said he’s excited to officially take over the role of chief, adding that the last few months have been busy.

He said that while many people may not dream of becoming a police chief, as his career progressed he started to think, “Maybe I can start doing this and help give back to the service.”

Colon said he wants to lead the MFNPS to a spot where it can provide “safety to all communities we serve” and eventually grow the service beyond the 12 communities MFNPS covers now.

He said drug addiction and social issues are a problem in every community, whether it’s a city or a First Nation.

“Those are the issues that police have to learn to try to address,” Colon said.

However, he added, MFNPS is only a “spoke in the wheel,” and the police service needs to work closely with communities to address those issues.

He said the MFNPS headquarters has fully transitioned to the larger facility within the Waywayseecappo Convention Centre off Highway 10 near Brandon from its previous location in Portage la Prairie.

“It’s definitely a huge upgrade,” he said. “(I) appreciate the time we had there, but it’s nice to get into a new building and start fresh here.”

He said the police service outgrew its previous space, and he was happy to relocate somewhere it won’t outgrow “anytime soon.”

» sanderson@brandonsun.com