By Ragnar Haagen

Chief Dale McFee leaving the force for government post

May 25, 2012 | 12:56 PM

As part of the Saskatchewan Party’s latest cabinet shuffle, it has been announced that Prince Albert Police Chief Dale McFee will take over the position of Deputy Minister of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing.

This means he will retire from his post as police chief sometime before Sept. 1, 2012, when his new position begins. However, no formal announcement has yet been made.

Prince Albert Mayor Jim Scarrow said he was not surprised by the news, given that McFee is a person of great ability.

“He has served our community for the better part of 25 years and is at a time of his life when he needs to make decisions as to the next phase,” Scarrow said.

“And this would certainly be one that would appeal to him in terms of making great strides in an area where we need to do better.”

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Upon first hearing the news, Mayor Scarrow said he felt a sense of loss.

“Chief McFee has been a widely recognized person of ability and recognized through his chairmanship of the Saskatchewan association of chiefs of police and then more recently and currently as national president of the Canadian Association of chiefs of police,” noted Scarrow.

“I think (this posting) recognizes his particular skill and interest in crime prevention and particularly amoung young people. He has been very instrumental in establishing the “HUB” and the “COR” in our community and I think this is the concept and the thinking that would appeal to the Premier and the Justice Department.”

In terms of finding a successor, Scarrow says in his wake, McFee will leave a strong team and the search will begin soon.

“I think the board of police commissioners will meet very shortly to discuss the process and the timelines with regards to the appointment of a new chief of police,” Scarrow said.

“You can only grow your department or your interest with the right people in place and very clearly, we have leadership at all levels within the Prince Albert Police Service, so I think it’s a feather in their cap that their leader has been chosen to take on a very important task within the province.”

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