Solving major problems is old hat for new RCMP boss
There is a new face at the top of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador. Chief Supt. Garrett Woolsey was recently assigned as the criminal operations officer (CROPS) for N.L. B Division — in charge of anything that happens in the province operationally for the RCMP.
He began his RCMP career in British Columbia, with postings in Vernon, New Hazelton, Duncan, Merritt, Kelowna and Nanaimo. In addition to honing his skills in general duty policing, major crimes and homicide, Woolsey developed a special interest in the areas of youth addictions and mental health, serving on the board of directors of a number of non-profit youth addiction and housing agencies.
Serving in Newfoundland and Labrador has always been a goal, and Woolsey and his wife are thrilled to join B Division.
“Coming back to Newfoundland was always on the backburner from time to time, and when the vacancy opened up, I knew there would be a spot open there, I mentioned it to my wife,” he said.
“Our three kids are all grown and gone now, and we’re pretty mobile, so she had no problem with it. So when my staffing folks called up, they said, ‘Garrett, are you interested in going to B Division as a CROPS officer,’ I said yes I am. They said, ‘Don’t you want to talk to your wife?’ I said, I already have.”
Woolsey and his wife, Karen, have three adult children. He holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Alberta, and has completed additional post-secondary and management training at the University of Alberta, as well as at the University of Calgary and Athabasca University.
This is a journey that started in a roundabout way many years previous to him ever considering being an RCMP officer.
“When I was a young lad, about seven years old, my dad worked for Amico, one of the major oil companies at the time. We were in Alberta, born there, and then he had an opportunity to come to Newfoundland and work on the Grand Banks on some of the very first offshore oil rigs,” Woolsey said.
“As it happens, when you are seven, those are your first memories, so my very first memories are of Newfoundland. We lived in the Old Battery Hotel, which I don’t think exists anymore, or is in transition, We stayed there for a while and then we had a place down on Whiteway Street.
“But as it happens in the oil industry, things change, and the rigs got towed to Norway. My dad and family, we didn’t want to go to Norway apparently, so we left Newfoundland and went back to (Spruce Grove), Alberta. It’s really kind of charming in my mind, anyway, that my very first memories are of this place.”
He said his family lived here for between six months and a year. He went to school here for a short while, but he doesn’t recall which school it was. He does recall dressing up in a nice little uniform.
Woolsey said he remembers some of my friends from that time, Butt was the surname, and he would love to reconnect with them if they are still around. Judy Butt was one of the names he recalls.
A public order and critical incident specialist, Woolsey has advanced training at the Justice Institute of B.C., the Canadian Police College and in the United Kingdom. He has commanded RCMP operations in several high-profile incidents, including the mass protests at G-20 Toronto, the 2008 southern Alberta floods, and the Slave Lake and Fort Mcmurray wildfires.
Woolsey led the development of the major case management team commander qualification program in Alberta and holds team commander accreditation in that province as well as in British Columbia. He is currently a director with the Association of Canadian Critical Incident Commanders.
Those skills will serve him well with current and emerging policing problems as he takes his post in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Coming from out west, I was involved in outlaw motorcycle gang investigations from drugs to homicides, everything that those guys are involved in,” he said
“Out west right now, there is a fentanyl epidemic. You’ve all heard about it, it’s in British Columbia and it’s moving east through the Prairies right now, it’s hitting Ontario, and it’s not hitting here to the degree … and heaven forbid it does, but it’s one of those emerging trends that we need to be very aware of that’s coming and it’s tied to organized crime,” he added.
Woolsey said that is their bread and butter, and everyone can see the carnage it is wreaking in the Prairie provinces right now with the high degree of fentanyl overdoses, and the violent crime it generates because there are desperate people who need to fund their habits.
“You have high levels of crime in communities, in the rural communities especially, and high levels of violence against our officers. These are all trends that are coming,” Woolsey said.
“There is some great organized crime work being done here by the federal units, and by the units that report to me, so we need to keep the pedal to the metal on that and be aware of the emerging trends that are approaching and takes steps to be proactive and get at these guys.”
There are a number of goals Woolsey has set forth to achieve during his posting in this province. One of those is the quality of investigations, the quality of policing, because society is changing fast, he said.
“We’re dealing with rapidly expanding technology, social media, a number of things that we didn’t deal with 10, 15 or 30 years ago when I first got into the RCMP. We need to be intelligence led and driven, and work — the phrase we use is work smarter, not harder — in facing some of these challenges that we currently have,” he said.
In addition, he knows communication will be a key component in working throughout the many communities in the province the RCMP services. Enhancing the degree of communication both with the communities and with the media to achieve accountability is a big issue.
“Not just in Newfoundland and Labrador, but all over Canada, accountability is a huge topic. We can explain ourselves to the public, to the media, to the government, to all the different players who contribute to policing. How it is, why we do what we do, and what our goals are and how we can contribute to the health of communities,” he said. Woolsey said he wants to empower all the officers in the field, at all levels, to engage with the community, to tell community leaders and their citizens what’s happening in their community, what the role of the RCMP is and, ultimately, be accountable to them.
He said if the quality of investigations is improved, it enhances the way the RCMP is able to do business. “If we can reduce violence in our communities by doing the best job we can as RCMP officers, that’s the contribution we are empowered to make,” he said.
In addition, he said he would love to see this entire province, and that’s the beauty of his job.
“I am responsible for all of the detachments in the province, so I’d like to get out to all our three different districts, East, West and into Labrador, and get to know the people there, get to know the geography there and meet some of the citizens,” he said.
There are superintendents in each of those regions who report to Woolsey. He wants to get into each jurisdictions and get to know them and the constables who work there, meet some of those community leaders and citizens in those communities and ask them how it’s going with the RCMP, what they’d like to see improved, what they love about the RCMP … the good and the bad.
In addition, he knows iceberg season is coming and he recalls seeing those as a youth.
“I want to see if that memory matches up.”
If it doesn’t, he has a few quiet hobbies of his own to fall back on to pass his time. “I’m a computer geek and a board gamer. It’s non-police stuff that works for me. I don’t go home and think about this job 24-7.”