Retiring Chief Clive Weighill made 'quick and electrifying' change to troubled force
Saskatoon police chief retiring after 11 years leading the city police service
It's difficult to overstate the challenges Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill faced when he rode north from the provincial capital to take over one of the most troubled forces in Canada.
The Saskatoon Police Service, which now rightly has a stellar reputation, was riddled by political turmoil both inside and out. It had become the top source of enmity in the bitter politics on city council at the turn of the century and it was being torn apart by the lack of support by rank and file for the former executive.
If anyone thought of Saskatoon's police service at all it was in terms of fumbled investigations, such as the seriously flawed David Milgaard investigation and subsequent conviction, or it was for the service's reputation when it came to the treatment of First Nation citizens.
While on a road trip in Oregon a gentleman asked whether I came from the Saskatchewan town that "drove Indians out of the city to freeze."
It seemed every effort at redemption, from dumping former police chief Dave Scott for his efforts to shield members at all costs, to bringing in Russ Sabo, an RCMP inspector, to shake thing up only to find he could never gain the support of the members, made matters worse.
The RCMP were asked to reopen investigations only to add to the questions of competence and collusion rather than clearing things up.
And when the provincial government set up judicial enquiry to be led by Justice David Wright, perhaps the most respected Queen's Court judge in the province, it only resulted in a unanimous vote by the police union rejecting his findings.
Academics and my colleagues at The StarPhoenix were calling for the dissolution of the department to be replaced by the RCMP, which polices many of the communities in British Columbia.
It is into this mess that Weighill came in 2006, with his unassuming style, quiet voice and relatively diminutive stature.
Glass half full
Born and raised in Regina and a 31-year veteran of that city's force, those of us on the sidelines couldn't help but wonder whether he wasn't just a castoff from Regina's recent chief competition coming north either out of spite or to pad his resume.
When he met with the editorial board at The StarPhoenix, however, he made it clear that he not only understood the scope of the challenges Saskatoon's police service faced but also the opportunities it presented. Like the city, the police force was expanding and transforming.
It was increasingly young, educated and ambitious. It was also tired of the old battles and ready for a breath of optimism.
Weighill is definitely a glass half full kind of guy. The first order of business was to accept the Wright commission's judgement and recommendations and turn the page.
The next was to reconcile with Saskatoon's growing First Nation's community.
- Report alleging police abuse of Indigenous women 'one-sided': Saskatoon police chief
- Statue honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women unveiled in Saskatoon
- MMIW cases won't stop until root causes addressed, says Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
The city is impossible to police if the force doesn't have the confidence of all it citizens, particularly those who have been disproportionately impacted by colonization, the residential school system, poverty and racism.
This included a need to change the way Saskatoon was policed including giving more training, input and power to front-line members.
Considering the long slog it took to get through the hard times, the transformation under Weighill was quick and electrifying. It helped that the city and its punditry was tired of focusing on the negative.
When outsiders or politicians raised the ghosts of the past they would typically be met with rolled eyes.
But Weighill wasn't satisfied with salvaging the police service's reputation.
He didn't want a police force that could match any in Canada —he wanted one that could be best.
Year after year, I would watch him stand before council defending innovative programs and pushing for more ways to make Saskatoon better.
From explaining the cost-benefit of keeping a police plane in the air or pushing the province to allow photo radar in selected trouble spots to battling for a new police headquarter building that would make all but the most negative of Saskatoon citizens proud, Weighill would patiently present his vision to an often parsimonious council, winning more times than he lost.
And his vision didn't stop at Saskatoon's borders. He has served the country, as head of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and internationally as an executive member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
If his accomplishments impacted on his ego, he didn't show it.
For those of us in the media, he was quick to answer our questions, never hesitated to set us straight with evidence when we were wrong, and encouraged us when it was warranted. Saskatoon, Regina and Canada all owe him our thanks.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
