The London Police will be searching for a new Chief after a surprising retirement announcement from current Chief, John Pare.
Chief Pare has 33 years of policing experience under his belt. Shortly after he became Chief back in 2015, he was named the “top cop” in London. Pare’s career journey is something impressive. So, why quit now? XFM News sat down with Chief Pare to find out.
Q: Why retire now?
A: I always believe that the decision to retire is a personal decision. I am at a point in my life where I felt it was right on two levels. One, personally. I have a great family. I have to grandkids that I want to spoil. Two, on a professional level. My contract expires in April 2020. When I look at the organization and where we’re at, going into a new four year budget this year, strategic plan for the city, community safety plan for the police, I thought it would be important to have leadership at the top that would see through those initiatives, instead of someone retiring shortly after all those things come into play.
Q: Reflect on your career as Chief. What have been the highlights of your career with the London Police?
A: I’ve had the great privilege of working with so many incredible individuals within this organization and within the community around keeping our community safe and doing the best we can to serve the citizens of London. In my opinion, I couldn’t have asked for a better career. I’ve had the opportunity to work in so many areas and learn so many new things. I think it’s lived up to all my expectations. No regrets and I’d probably do it all over again.
Q: What would you like to see change before you go in June?
A: There’s lots of initiatives that are ongoing that I think are gonna be in a good position as I go out the door. The Safer Ontario Act is a change in the police services act that the previous government had spent a lot of time on. We’ll see how that impacts us.
Q: What may be some challenges you face before retiring?
A: Policing is all about challenges and issues. That’s what makes it exciting to come to work every day because no day is the same. We’re going into meetings this week with city council about our budget. We have some other meetings coming up about assessment growth. One of the new programs that I’m hoping to get has to do with the full time psychologist that will help our members deal with some of the challenges they face in work.
Q: What makes London Police stand out from other police departments?
A: I think it’s the members. The members do the work each and every day. They are very dedicated workers. They work hard not only in their everyday professional life but, if you were to look around the community, members here provide thousands of hours of volunteer work to do many great organizations in our community. If you look at some of the statistics out there, we run a very efficient and effective police service. That really makes us stand out. We have a great community, city, and people that work here.
Q: What does retirement hold for you?
A: My wife’s been retired for just over two years. We have lots of things we enjoy doing together. Cycling is just one of them. Every year we try to get away for a cycling trip. They’re not as long as we’d like them to be. So, that’s probably one of the first things we are going to endeavour. We’re also looking at a trip later this year, maybe in the fall. Also, really just seeing my grandson and granddaughter a little bit more.
Q: For the Chief that will take over your position, what advice can you give for them?
A: It’s important to continue to build relationships, repair relationships, and develop new relationships with the community. It is really about service to the community. Take the time to listen, take the time to learn, make sure to express your opinion, and provide advice. Also, just making the changes where necessary, to improve.
Chief Pare is expected to retire on June 28th. At that time, the London Police Service will say goodbye to Pare and welcome the 20th Chief of Police to London.
