The CAMROSE BOOSTER, April 18, 2017 – Page 16
Police chief retiring after 36 years of public service By Lori Larsen
After 36 years of dedicated public service, Camrose’s Chief of Police Darrell Kambeitz is trading in the badge to partake in a new path in life. Illustrious career
Kambeitz began his career on May 4, 1981 during a difficult time in Alberta, where policing jobs were hard to obtain, let alone keep. “I was fortunate enough to be offered a job in Camrose and part of me saw that as a stepping stone to a larger organization, but once I got here and realized how privileged we were here, I never looked back.” The greatness of the Camrose community took a strong hold on another asset. “I was never disappointed,” said Kambeitz. “I was provided with every opportunity that I ever wanted to pursue, given training opportunities that were envied by colleagues across Alberta. With great support from home, I took advantage of every opportunity, not only for myself but for the organization.” Kambeitz was able to advance through the ranks of Camrose Police Service including the administrative roles of inspector, deputy chief and ultimately chief for the past 10 years. “I have had such a privileged career,” said Kambeitz.
community to stay ahead of that, but the encroachment has occurred and we are impacted with an increase in crimes against persons, property crimes increasing steadily and theft of vehicles directly related to the drug trade and those individuals utilizing those vehicles for that purpose. “I am very impressed with the reduction that has taken place but we have a long way to go and it will be a constant battle.” Reference was also made to the calls received by Camrose Police Service for assistance in areas outside of police functions, due to the fact they are in ser-
“Our community is so kind to us,” he prefaced the story. “I remember as a young constable, being out on 48th Avenue conducting a checkstop near Christmas. It was extremely cold, I think it was 80 below (may be a bit of an exaggeration), but it certainly was minus 30. “We were performing our duties, dealing with the public, when a very kind restaurateur arrived with hot coffee for us in support.” As Kambeitz finished the story he couldn’t help but laugh. “We were shocked when we had a sip and realized it was hot cof-
and were very impressed with the number of applicants they had and the quality of applications,” said Kambeitz. “They have shortlisted as of this weekend to three candidates and are hoping to have my replacement by this summer.” There will be a gap between Chief Kambeitz’s official last day and when the new chief begins, which is not unusual for policing organizations. However, Kambeitz rests assured that Camrose Police Service will not be affected due to the capabilities of Deputy Chief Lee Foreman and all the members of the agency.
Policing Camrose
Policing a community for 36 years is bound to be filled with memories from how it was done in the beginning to the amazing advancements and continual movement forward. “When I think back to policing this City (past and present), we have some amazing people who are well trained, well committed and very dedicated to the safety of our community. “Those members are tasked every day with the duty of ensuring the safety of Camrose citizens from all sorts of criminal activity. “Any criminal element that you hear about or read about in the newspapers or see on the news that are in the larger centres, Edmonton and Calgary, are here, too,” said Kambeitz. “Motorcycle clubs, organized crime, drug distribution, whereever they see a market to fill, they will participate.” Kambeitz explained that Camrose Police Service spends a great deal of time mitigating those elements by identifying and targeting individuals and ultimately holding them criminally responsible. “It is a direct role for our major crimes unit and their crime reduction teams and we have done a very good job, not only as an organization, but as a
Chief Darrell Kambeitz retires the badge after 36 years of policing in Camrose.
vice 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Our last environmental scan showed that 40 per cent of our calls were actually not police functions, but were directly related to people with mental health issues, child custody matters, civil property disputes and general assistance.” Despite the excellent services available in Camrose, Kambeitz indicated the police are servicing these calls after hours. “It is just something that in policing we need to work better with our partners so those people are going to the right organizations to begin with, because usually police officers are not the people they want to see in those situations and it can cause conflict.” But policing isn’t all serious. There is a lighter side to the occupation and when asked to relate a fun story from his career, Kambeitz had no problem stirring up memories.
fee and Baileys which, of course, we couldn’t finish.” But the very idea that someone thought it was okay to serve it to police officers on duty at a checkstop had Kambeitz smiling all over again and quick to comment that it shows the consideration and support of a community. In relating this story, Kambeitz added that daily humour is a requirement in policing, and for all who know him, they understand his wonderful sense of humour is an asset to the service and a constant reminder to the police officers to remember all the funny things and good things in order to remain positive and sane. Hard shoes to fill
The position for Camrose Police Chief will be chosen from a national competition that was advertised by the Police Commission. “ They (Police Commission) are getting close
“Deputy Chief Foreman will be able to assist that successful candidate with their transitional phase and we also have some great support staff and administration staff that will be able to assist,” he said. Kambeitz happily noted that one of the priorities the Police Commission made perfectly clear in the national competition for the next police chief was that they must reside in Camrose and they will continue with the accreditation process. The position of chief is responsible for the policing actions of all the police officers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which includes providing direction to and holding the police officers accountable under the Police Act and, beyond that, budgetary requirements and recent downloading from the provincial government have added increased responsibilities.
“For the right reasons, they want us (police chiefs) to be engaged at levels we never have before. Literally, we are drafting police strategies for them, which takes a lot of time away from our offices.” With new leadership and change comes some uncertainty and stress. In recognizing that, Chief Kambeitz has made it a priority in the past few months to help alleviate some of that concern among the service. Future in policing
Kambeitz commented on the future of policing and some of the challenges facing young recruits. “The opioid crisis is probably the most known because of the lives it is currently affecting. “We have been very fortunate in Camrose that we have so many like-minded stakeholders that we have been able to get ahead of it and address the educational components and developed hubs that provide those social services and alternatives to individuals who are ready to seek that help,” adding there have not been any deaths directly associated with the use of fentanyl. Kambeitz stated that the police service will continue efforts in the fight against opioids, specifically fentanyl, and will join the province in the initiative to create safe communities. “As the chief of police of a community, I am opposed to the creation of safe injection sites if it is just some place where someone can go to use illegal drugs, but if it is a wellness centre or a wellness hub where they have access to all other services that could eventually put them in a better place, then I am all for it.” Looking forward, other challenges include the proposed legalization of marijuana and the continual growth of cyber crime. “The social media aspect of that will be interesting. We are receiving calls for service that we never dreamed of in the past through social media, including threats against persons, concerns as a result of suicidal comments, identity theft and increased risk to lives and property.” Kambeitz also spoke of the numerous scams that are continually plaguing citizens and that a great deal of time is spent by the Service educating residents on the Dark Net, the criminal component of the internet. “I see those as being the biggest challenges for policing, whether you are in Camrose or Edmonton. There are no boundaries or borders when it comes to criminal activity.” Continued on page 31