Mark Neufeld
Be it a large city or a smaller community, Mark Neufeld’s job has always had its share of challenges.
After two years as Camrose’s police chief, Neufeld was named to that same post in this city in June. But he is no stranger to large-community issues, having served on the Edmonton force for 24 years.
“The move to Camrose was an interesting one,” said Neufeld, who grew up in Ryley, about 90 kilometres east of Edmonton. “We had some issues there as we do in Calgary right now with homelessness and lack of support for people dealing with drug addictions and mental-health issues.
“In larger organizations, in leadership, you move up and what ends up happening is you move a little bit further from the people delivering the services and the people receiving the services. The one thing about Camrose, you were very accountable because you’re around the community.”
The partnerships between the police force and other services, Neufeld said, are crucial.
“When you look at some of the big challenges we face now, the gun violence, the disorder issues in the downtown ... the key is for us to be mindful of the fact that the people we’re dealing with in many cases don’t actually need the police,” he said. “So you need to make those connections across the system ... health, social services, non-profits.”
As Calgary’s new top officer, trust is also a critical component.
“We had a couple of retirements in the last quarter so we’re in the process of rebuilding our senior leadership team,” Neufeld said. “Once we get that in place, heading into 2020, we’re going to update and relaunch our strategic plan. We’ll need to clarify our highest priorities.”
Externally, he pointed to gang violence and high demand, with crime and calls going up. Internally, he spoke about continuing human-resources reform efforts.
“We’re going to continue doing the work we’ve been doing in supporting our people,” he said, “and ensuring they have a safe and respectful workplace.”