The Vancouver Police Board announced today that they had chosen a new chief constable to lead the Vancouver Police Department. He is 28-year veteran VPD Deputy Chief Adam Palmer.VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Adam Palmer, a 28-year member of the Vancouver Police Department who has been hailed for his work both in administration and the field, has been named the force's new chief.
Deputy Chief Palmer was named to the top job Thursday. He will replace outgoing Chief Jim Chu, who in January announced he would step down.
The current deputy chief joined the force in 1987 and spent the next 13 years as a patrol officer. He has since worked in a variety of roles and most recently led the investigation division, where he was in charge of such units as major crime and organized crime. He also led a review of the department's policing operations, and the force said his research into issues such as deployment, overtime and sharing resources has generated interest from police agencies around the world.
"We are confident that … Adam Palmer will continue the progress of his predecessor Chief Constable Jim Chu, striving to make Vancouver the safest major city in Canada and further enhancing the reputation of the VPD as an excellent police service," Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who is also chair of the police board, wrote in a statement.
Chief Chu said he would work with Deputy Chief Palmer to ensure the transition is "as smooth and as soon as possible." A date for a formal change of command ceremony has not been announced.
The department said Deputy Chief Palmer would not speak with reporters until a news conference Friday morning.
He was one of two finalists for the position, along with fellow Deputy Chief Doug LePard, best known for overseeing a scathing internal review of the department's failed investigation into serial killer Robert Pickton.
Deputy Chief LePard issued a public apology on the department's behalf in July, 2010.
Mr. Robertson, in the statement, said Deputy Chief LePard withdrew from the process just before the final interviews were conducted to "support the selection of his colleague." Chief Chu thanked Deputy Chief LePard for "making a difficult personal decision to withdraw … and putting the interests of the VPD first."
While Deputy Chief LePard's work on murdered and missing women – he spent weeks testifying at a public inquiry – at times put him front and centre, Deputy Chief Palmer has generally been less visible.
Last April, he announced the launch of the department's cold case website. In early 2012, he defended the force's police-dog policy after a man who was bit filed a lawsuit.
He was inducted as a member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces in 2009, when he was an inspector. A statement issued by the Vancouver Police Department at the time said: "In every department there are officers who excel in fighting crime and officers who excel in administration. Inspector Adam Palmer stands comfortably in both worlds." The statement said his "superior investigative skills" had led to convictions against the Hells Angels, and the elimination of a major human-trafficking ring.
Deputy Chief Palmer, 52, was born and raised in the Vancouver area. He was named a deputy chief in 2010.
Douglas King, a lawyer with the advocacy group Pivot Legal Society, said he's found Deputy Chief Palmer to be willing to listen. "[But] as the deputy chief you don't necessarily have to show your opinion, or take a stand. You can kind of just take the position of the chief and enforce it. … As chief, he's not going to have that luxury," Mr. King said in an interview. He described Deputy Chief Palmer as a "safe choice."
"He's got a lot of time as a patrol officer. … He wrote that report about operations at the VPD," Mr. King said.
"You're handing it over to someone you know is intimately involved with the inner workings of the department. Things aren't going to completely collapse. Whether or not he's going to be able to deal with some of the tougher aspects of the job and the leadership role is, I think, really the outstanding question."
Kate Gibson, executive director of the WISH Drop-in Centre, which provides support for sex workers, said she was pleased with Deputy Chief Palmer's promotion. She said she dealt with him often when the centre was considering moving to its current location.
"He was very supportive, very easy to work with," she said. "There's nothing combative about him. He just has a real good way with people."