Danny Smyth named new chief of police

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This article was published 23/10/2016 (2741 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s next police chief will be veteran local cop Danny Smyth.

Smyth was introduced as the choice of the Winnipeg police board recruitment committee during a Monday afternoon news conference at city hall. He replaces Devon Clunis, who unexpectedly announced in March, in the middle of a dispute with city council over the police budget, he would be retiring.

Smyth, a North End resident who followed his father’s footsteps and joined the WPS in 1986, is currently one of three deputy chiefs, a position he was promoted to a little over a year ago.

“I am ready to lead the (Winnipeg Police) Service where it needs to go,” he told reporters.

Coun. Scott Gillingham, chairman of the police board, said Smyth emerged as the best candidate to lead the WPS following a national search.

“The (police board) recruitment committee strongly believes that deputy chief Smyth is the right leader for the Winnipeg Police Service at this time in its history,” Gillingham (St. James-Brooklands-Weston) said.

The police board will formally appoint Smyth as the next chief at its Nov. 4 meeting. Gillingham said Smyth will be sworn into office during official ceremonies Nov. 8.

Deputy chief Art Stannard has been acting chief since Clunis’ retirement in July. Stannard said he did not apply for the position. 

Smyth’s appointment as chief is a pivotal moment for the city’s fledgling police board. Before the board’s creation, police chiefs were appointed by city council.

The police, police board and city council have a convoluted relationship. The chief is responsible to the board but the board doesn’t get involved in any of the day-to-day operational decisions. The board works with police to arrive at a budget but it’s council that determines what the budget amount will be.

The board, and the chief, are powerless when it comes to dealing with the biggest expenditures — police salaries and benefits. Negotiations with the police union are conducted by city officials and the board and senior police administration must build the WPS budget around the collective agreements.

Gillingham said council and Mayor Brian Bowman had respected the police board’s responsibility during the recruitment process and took a hand’s-off approach. Gillingham said he approached Bowman at the start of the process to see what qualities the mayor was expecting in the successful candidate; the mayor played no further role in the selection.

University of Manitoba criminologist Frank Cormier said Smyth appears to be hugely popular both within the WPS and the general community, adding however, that popularity could prove to be the proverbial double-edged sword for the new chief.

Cormier said Smyth’s biggest challenges will likely be wrestling with the police service budget and the resulting structural and operational changes that will be necessary to rein in spending.

“From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, Smyth has a fair amount of social capital among the people of Winnipeg,” Cormier said. “Those people who have seen him in action think quite highly of him. That’s a real asset for someone to have going into this job.”

Cormier said it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the police board chose an internal candidate for the top job — only two outsiders have ever been appointed police chief, former RCMP Manitoba commissioner Dale Henry (1991-1996) and former Edmonton deputy chief David Cassels (1996-1998).

“There can be a lot of resistance when someone comes in from outside,” Cormier said. “So, I think there is a high degree of willingness to co-operate with Smyth among the rank-and-file…But, it’s tough to stay popular when you’re the boss. A leader won’t always be popular and that’s something he’ll have to deal with.”

Unlike his predecessor, whose strength was in administration, Smyth has extensive experience as a criminal investigator. Before becoming deputy chief in charge of investigative services, Smyth spent years working in uniform operations and covert investigation in both the vice and surveillance units, tactical operations and street crime. He was promoted to superintendent in 2012, where he oversaw the investigations branch, which included homicide, major crimes, organized crime, forensic, intelligence and technology divisions.

Smyth also has a bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree in organizational management. He taught in the criminal justice department at the University of Winnipeg until 2014.

Smyth said he believes he’s at the right point in his career to lead the force as it evolves to deal with a changing and complex society.

“We have a lot of challenges coming up,” Smyth said, adding he’s prepared to consider restructuring and overtime management as a way to deal with the financial pressures.

Smyth said he’s committed to the WPS strategic plan, as had been approved by the police board, and is prepared to support the community engagement efforts pioneered by Clunis during his brief three-year tenure.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

In his own words

“The murder of this child, and let’s not forget she was a child, has shocked and outraged this community and resonated across our nation.”

— Winnipeg Police Service Deputy Chief Danny Symth, on Dec. 11, 2015, announcing the arrest in the Tina Fontaine slaying.

“This is a dark chapter for the Winnipeg Police Service. I can tell you, during the course of this investigation, my emotions have run from disbelief to anger to disappointment to resolve and now here today, to actually some relief that we have brought this member essentially to justice now. I also want to say to people that we serve that incidents like this are rare. The Winnipeg Police Service does not tolerate this type of behaviour.”

— Sept. 16, 2016, speaking after the arrest of Winnipeg police Const. Trent Milan

“For the better part of 10 years our crime rates have consistently trended down, and it’s certainly our hope that 2015 is just a short-term hiccup and that it will continue to trend down in the long run.”

— Sept. 20, 2016, commenting about statistics contained in the annual Winnipeg Police report

“It ended when Mr. (Mark) DiCesare took action and officers responded with lethal force.”

— November 7, 2015, confirming five Winnipeg police officers were directly involved with the death and being questioned by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba

“During the period of time they are gone, they are really being vulnerable. The worst-case scenario is for them to be vulnerable and somebody preys on them.”

— June 24, 2016, talking about the risk faced by youth who repeatedly go missing while in the care of Child and Family Services

“This was a senseless and reckless actions of the suspects. I can’t explain it.”

— Oct. 25, 2015, commenting on the shooting of a 16-year-old girl with a gun stolen from an off-duty RCMP officer’s vehicle

“We will have to figure out how officers will carry the drug… we are going to encounter people who have overdosed.”

— Oct. 7, 2016, confirming police are working out how officers will carry doses of fentanyl antidote after three overdose deaths in Winnipeg

“She was able to provide a fair amount of information. I’m not prepared to share that information. She has been stabilized; her recovery will take considerable time.”

— July 6, 2015, confirming investigators had been able to speak to lawyer Maria Mitousis after a bombing which left her in hospital

“This is an extraordinary measure we considered. The Winnipeg Police Service is sensitive to the fact there are many missing and murdered women in Manitoba and in Canada. These investigations are a priority for us. In this case, the investigators explored all available options in the interest of justice and public safety.”

— Nov. 16, 2013, defending police for paying $1,500 in cash to an accused serial killer to break open two homicide investigations

“One of the areas I’d like to see would be just finding a way to better involve the families. That’s probably been the biggest criticism police in general have to take — it’s just those lines of communication with the families of the victims.”

— May 9, 2015, during a Free Press interview after he was appointed deputy chief

“If there is a stereotype for a cop, I certainly don’t fit it.”

— May 9, 2015, joking about his small stature in the same Free Press story