Getting to know Joe
Joe Boland, humbly, and a little nervously, accepted his newly appointed position Tuesday morning as the 22nd chief of the RNC.
“Wow, what a day,” Boland said.
Boland was raised in Logy Bay. As one of 11 children, he grew up in a hardworking, loving home.
“At an early age, my parents taught us the value of honesty, hard work and to never give up,” Boland said. “They taught us the importance of being good people, and to have value, not only for our families, but for our communities, where we work, live and play.
“I joined the RNC over 34 years ago because I truly care about community, and I wanted to make a difference.”
Justice Minister Andrew Parsons spoke about the number of applicants for the position — from as far away as Russia.
“I had a lot of solicited and unsolicited advice throughout the screening process,” Parsons said. “Never have I ever seen this kind of uniformity, and unanimity — every person I spoke with told me that Joe Boland is the right person for the job.”
Boland began his career with the RNC in 1983 after graduating from the Atlantic Police Academy. Since then, he has
served in many divisions of the RNC, including the patrol services division, the criminal investigation division, the operational support services division, and the recruiting and training unit.
Boland was promoted many times in his career, first in 2006, when he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. In 2012, he was promoted to the rank of inspector, and in 2014 he was promoted to the rank of superintendent.
He has been awarded the
20-year Police Exemplary Service Medal, 30-year Police Exemplary Service Bar and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
After all these years of service, Boland was asked, why not retire?
“I have a deep love for this province, and for this organization. I have two children who also love this province, and I want to see a future that’s great for them,” Boland said.
In addition to all of his police work, Boland manages to stay active in the community.
In 2009 he was named Baseball Canada National Grassroots Development Coach of the Year. He was also recently inducted into the Softball Newfoundland Labrador Hall of Fame in the Athlete Category.
Boland serves on a number of committees, including the Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Board, the Eastern Health Police Liaison Committee, the Occupational Health and Safety Committee and the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Response Team Implementation Committee.
Boland says mental health and addiction is one of the biggest challenges the province is facing at the moment.
“We’re going to treat mental health as it should be treated — and that’s as a health issue, not a policing issue,” he said.
“My commitment today is to women and men of the RNC, minister Parsons, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, community departments, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” Boland said. “I will do my very best to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador remains the safest, securest and greatest place in the world to live. I am truly honoured and humbled to be here today to accept this appointment.”