CHIEF SAYS HE OFFERED TO STAY
Bid to finish cyber crimes plan was rebuffed, Knecht writes in letter
JURIS GRANEY
A new police chief should be in place by the time outgoing top cop Rod Knecht departs at the end of October, Edmonton Police Commission chairman Tim O’Brien said Friday.
Knecht announced he was leaving his position earlier this week after contract renewal negotiations broke down.
The 61-year-old, whose contract ends Oct. 31, asked to stay on until June 2019 to set up a cyber crimes strategy and increase cybercrime investigative capacity, as well as ensure the successful launch of the operations and intelligence command centre.
He said in a letter released Friday his original date was initially accepted, but a few weeks later, the commission came back with a counter-proposal that would have seen his contract end in March 2019.
“While my preference would have been to stay to progress these initiatives sufficiently, I didn’t believe that a five-month extension was enough time to adequately address them,” he wrote.
“I also felt it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the organization or the community to leave in the midst of such significant organizational change given that adjusted time frame.”
Knecht said no other options were provided by the commission.
O’Brien, however, told a news conference Friday the commission had never accepted Knecht’s timeline and put it down as a “misunderstanding.”
Labelling the idea that the decision was in some way political interference as “preposterous,” O’Brien also denied the relationship between Knecht and the commission had become “toxic.”
“Part of the role of the commission is to challenge the ideas that come from the service and to make sure that we stress-test them so we get the best policy and the best policing for the City of Edmonton,” he said.
“When you have that kind of challenge going back and forward, sometime that creates natural tension.”
A five-member subcommittee has been established and will work with external consultancy group Optimum Talent to find a new chief.
That process is expected to take from four to six months if the candidate comes from within the ranks, or an additional 90 days if the new chief is an external hire.
Should the search come up short after Knecht leaves, O’Brien said an acting chief would be appointed from within the ranks.
O’Brien thanked Knecht and the previous commission for hiring him “during a fairly tumultuous time in the service’s history.”
“Chief Knecht was tasked with restoring order and accountability within the service,” he said.
“He was transformative, ushering in many policies and procedures that moved the city police force toward a more modernized approach to policing.”
As well as focusing on cybercrime and a new intelligence command centre, Knecht said he wanted the extra time to see through the completion of two major capital projects at Northwest Division Campus and a new administrative building.
He also wanted that time to mentor senior leaders to better prepare them to compete for the top job.
Knecht said his last five months will be spent helping prepare the service for cannabis legalization as well as preparing for the transition of the next chief, he said.
Knecht, who had served in the RCMP since age 19, became Edmonton’s top cop in 2011.
Born in Red Deer, he had served as both commanding officer of the RCMP’s Alberta K Division and later as the force’s second-incommand in Ottawa.