At a Change of Command ceremony Tuesday morning, Marc Roskamp was installed as the city’s 18th police chief.
Featuring a pair of pipe bands, a smudging ceremony and an Indigenous drumming group Black River Singers, it was the first such ceremony in the city in at least 50 years.
For the many guests attending from outside the area, Insp. Steve Bogart honoured the past by paying tribute to Colin McGregor, a St. Thomas Police officer shot in the line of duty.
Outgoing Chief Chris Herridge had a warm thank-you message for members of the police service and the city at large.
After a nearly 35-year career with the St. Thomas Police Service – the last five at the helm – Herridge announced his retirement last October, calling it , “Time for a new journey.”
Paul Tunks, president of the St. Thomas Police Association, congratulated Roskamp on behalf of the association, adding on a personal note the chief’s interest in architecture. Information gleaned while walking the beat with Roskamp shortly after Tunks joined the service.
The Change of Command was the first of its kind in the city for many decades.
It was also the first time in the service’s history that five St. Thomas police chiefs gathered for such an event: Wayne Howard, Bill Lynch, Darryl Pinnell, Chris Herridge and Marc Roskamp.
New Chief Roskamp stressed his commitment is to ensure every interaction with a member of the public is converted into an opportunity to improve trust and confidence in the services police provide.
One of his key priorities is to build up the resiliency of members of the police service.
“If we are healthy on the inside, we will be healthy to deliver services on the outside.”
Proudly watching the ceremony was Roskamp’s father, the retired chief of the Chatham Police Service.
Prior to the official handing over of the sword Roskamp, the city’s new Deputy Chief was sworn in.
Scott Barnes is a 28-year veteran of the service who was promoted to inspector in April, 2018.
Barnes told members of the service the public relies on them to keep residents “free from chaos.”
Barnes pointed to a developing loss of trust in police services – quote – fueled largely by incidents south of the border.
St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston acknowledged the new chief’s dedication to the city.
myFM sat down with Chief Marc Roskamp last week for a candid conversation on his new role and priorities. You can read about that here.
