After more than a year of bad publicity surrounding the mysterious suspension of former chief Paul Battershill, there's no doubt the Victoria Police Department needs a leader who can repair the force's tattered image and boost its flagging morale.
Former Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham, often credited with rebuilding the departmental pride of more than 1,300 police officers in that city, has no doubt that he's the man for the job.
"I can promise you morale won't be a problem," Mr. Graham said this week during an interview in his new office at Victoria police headquarters.
"I have been many places where morale was in the tank when I got there and it wasn't when I left."
After two weeks of speculation and controversy over the fact that his appointment was made immediately after the municipal election and before the new council takes over, Mr. Graham was officially unveiled as Victoria's top cop this week.
He said his leadership style is a combination of giving credit where it's due and stepping up to take the heat when necessary.
"I try to make a big deal of officers that do a good job. And I deliver the real bad news. If you see me come into the [media]room, you know there's a problem."
Mr. Battershill resigned in August after a long investigation into what B.C. Police Complaint Commissioner Dirk Ryneveld has described as an "inappropriate relationship" with a contractor employed by the police department.
After his resignation, the Law Society of B.C. launched a conflict-of-interest probe into the conduct of Heenan Blaikie lawyer Marli Rusen, who acted for the Victoria Police Department when Mr. Battershill was chief. The law society has yet to complete its investigation.
Mr. Graham is no stranger to managing police issues in the media spotlight.
His tumultuous stint as Vancouver chief constable included the Guns n' Roses riot; the conviction of six officers on charges of beating drug dealers in Stanley Park; and a bizarre incident in which he left a bullet-riddled shooting-range target on the city manager's desk.
Mr. Graham retired in February of 2007, after an external probe found him guilty of "discreditable conduct" for failing to make his officers co-operate with investigations into police misconduct in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
In a report released last month, Mr. Ryneveld said Mr. Graham would have faced disciplinary measures under the province's Police Act had he not retired.
Pivot Legal Society, a legal advocacy organization in the Downtown Eastside, has called for the case to be reopened now that Mr. Graham has resumed his career, a plea that Mr. Ryneveld's office has rejected.
In the interview, Mr. Graham stressed the importance of getting "out front" and dealing with issues head on.
"It's always the cover-up that kills you," he said.
Despite the challenges and criticism, Mr. Graham by all accounts garnered considerable respect among both junior officers and senior managers in Vancouver.
Current VPD Chief Jim Chu issued a glowing tribute to Mr. Graham's leadership skills when news broke of his former boss's new job in Victoria.
Simon Coutts, owner of Simon's Bike Shop on Robson Street, where Mr. Graham worked part-time as a salesman during his hiatus from policing, said Vancouver cops were constantly dropping by to chat and ask his advice.
In contrast, Mr. Battershill suffered a "loss of confidence in his leadership," Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said after the chief's resignation in August.
Mr. Lowe was referring not only to fellow Victoria Police Board members, but also senior police officers, who joined forces to have Mr. Battershill removed.
Privately and publicly, Victoria police officers acknowledge that fallout from the Battershill affair has made for an unsettling and difficult year.
Mr. Graham, who recently turned 60, claims to be as fit as ever and eager to tackle his new challenge, although he knows it won't be a long-term appointment.
"The way I look at these jobs, you do your five years and you get out," he said.
"Anyway, 60 is the new 40."