Lewis made interim chief as hiring process continues

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This article was published 14/06/2024 (604 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The head of the Brandon Police Service has delayed his retirement as the search for a new permanent chief continues.

At the end of April, Acting Chief Randy Lewis retired, but the Brandon Police Board convinced to him to serve as interim chief starting last month and lasting until the hiring process wraps up, board chair Deb Arpin told the Sun on Thursday.

She said Lewis is still getting paid the same amount and just has a different title. As well, Arpin said Insp. Marc Alain had retired and is also acting in an interim capacity until his successor is found.

“He wants to be done by the end of August, but it depends on how things go with what we’re doing for the hiring,” Arpin said.

The last permanent chief, Wayne Balcaen, retired on June 23, 2023 as he entered politics and was elected as the Progressive Conservative MLA for Brandon West in October. Lewis was made acting chief after Balcaen’s departure.

The police board initially handled its own hiring duties, interviewing 16 candidates, but couldn’t secure a new chief.

According to the minutes of the April 22 police board meeting, one offer was made to an out-of-province candidate who declined the offer.

After that, the board dissolved its hiring committee as the city contracted MNP to handle recruitment duties for both the new police chief and other executive positions within administration.

MNP was paid $40,000 to handle the police chief search and will earn between $28,000 and $35,000 for its efforts to fill other positions, according to city records. The firm is also helping to hire a new chief for the Winnipeg Police Service as well with current Chief Danny Smyth set to retire this September.

Arpin said the firm started its work last month and should report back with a list of suitable candidates in July.

“They’re going to bring us back some names, which we will probably do interviews for and then we’ll make the decision,” Arpin said. “They’ll see if they agree with us because they’re doing a deep dive.”

She said she believes that the police board will have to inform council of its choice before granting final approval to the hire.

With the next police board meeting taking place today and the one after that on Sept. 20, Arpin said a special board meeting will likely be called if a candidate is chosen in be tween.

Applications for MNP’s job posting closed on June 3. The listing said the job pays an annual salary of $202,910.04, plus a defined benefit pension plan, disability and life insurance plans as well as a comprehensive health plan.

In an email, Lewis said it had been his plan for many years to retire in 2024 so he can spend more time with his family, even though he enjoys his work and his colleagues at BPS.

“Policing in Brandon has been a very rewarding and challenging career,” he said.

“Being able to fully retire later this year knowing that I made good faith decisions to the best of my ability for the betterment of our community, our staff and the police service is important to me. I am very optimistic about the future of the Brandon Police Service knowing the high quality of our staff and their dedication to our community.”

At today’s police board meeting, Arpin said there will be an update on the construction progress for BPS’ new permanent detention cells.

The public portion of the meeting starts at noon in council chambers on the second floor of Brandon City Hall.

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