The face of policing has drastically changed since Bob Herman first donned a badge and began fighting crime 32 years ago.
Change has come fast and furious in the decade he’s served as chief.
But where crime fighting in Thunder Bay goes in the future, Herman isn’t sure, and it won’t be his problem to deal with. Herman on Monday officially announced he’ll be stepping down from his post on July 7, 2011, a decision he’s been mulling over for months.
In the end the 52-year-old cited personal reasons for retiring.
"I discussed this with my wife over the summer and we came to the decision that the timing is right to go spend more time with her and with my family," Herman said.
The timing of the decision has nothing to do with the recent election of former Thunder Bay Police Association president Keith Hobbs to the mayoralty. Hobbs spent most of his lengthy campaign targeting crime, and last year accused Herman of not properly representing the city’s crime rate and ignoring public fear.
"His decision to run for mayor was his decision. The people of Thunder Bay elected him, but at the end of the day I had made my decision to retire well before this election was even called. It’s no secret among senior members of my staff, as well as the board," Herman said.
Herman added he stands behind his record 100 per cent, saying that while debate is healthy at any time, it’s important that people have all the facts during those discussions.
"This is not just an issue in Thunder Bay. Crime is an issue in many communities across this country. You look at what we just went through in the last couple of years. The country was in a downturn in the economy, we have high unemployment, and those are issues that have impacted every community across the country. And Thunder Bay is no different," Herman said.
"I do think there are a lot of good things that people are doing on a regular basis."
He pointed to the success of the gang unit, comparing its success to failures in other communities where similar units do not exist.
"I’m proud to say in Thunder Bay in areas where we did deploy officers, such as the gang unit, that we’ve been able to suppress the activities to make the community safer."
During his time at the helm, Herman said policing has evolved in Thunder Bay from the singular role of law enforcement to include the complexities of being a social safety net in a community that isn’t able to properly treat the root causes of crime.
"When I started policing, our primary function was enforcement. We went out there and enforced the laws. That’s changed. That’s a part of what police officers do on a daily basis right now, but certainly they’re involved in a lot more social issues now."
Added red tape hasn’t helped either, he said.
"We used to be able to go to a call and within half-an-hour have it wrapped up. That’s going to seven or eight hours sometimes for one incident. That’s been a big learning curve for senior administration," he said.
Coun. Joe Virdiramo, vice-chair of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board, said he’s proud of the job Herman has done, and disappointed to be losing such a dedicated public servant.
Discussions on his replacement and the process behind it will likely be discussed at the next police board meeting, he said.
They’ll have pretty specific criteria in their search for Herman’s replacement, though Virdiramo refused comment when asked whether they’ll be looking for an in-house candidate to fill the vacancy.
"We’ll be looking for someone who will take on the job as seriously as Chief Herman has and will take on the issues we need to work on in Thunder Bay," Viridramo said. "Crime has been an issue, however we’ve been dealing with that.
"That’s not an issue that’s only in Thunder Bay. It’s across the province and basically across the country."
Hobbs, who met with NDP Leader Andrew Horwath earlier in the day, was contacted for this story, but did not immediately return a request for comment.
