Soon-to-be retired police chief sits in on final police board meeting

Despite being a month away from retirement, the city’s police board still hasn’t found a replacement for the force’s outgoing chief.

Thunder Bay Police Service chief Bob Herman sat in his chair at the Thunder Bay Police Service Board’s regular meeting for the final time Tuesday. Herman announced his retirement in the fall of 2010, but the board still hasn’t created a shortlist of candidates.

Even without the short list, board chair and Westfort Coun. Joe Virdiramo said he is confident a new police chief will be named by late July.

"Chief Herman retires on July 7 and we’re trying to do the best we can," Virdiramo said following Tuesday morning’s meeting.

"We try to be very thorough with our consulting company. They did a community scan and some consultations with all the stakeholders and they basically came up with a profile of what a police chief should have in terms of the skills that are required and the issues that need to be dealt with."
But saying farewell was much of the focus during Tuesday’s meeting.

Police board members paid tribute to the soon-to-be-retired chief who sat on the board for nearly 15 years.

Virdiramo presented Herman with a watch in honour of his years on the force.
"It’s mixed emotions," Herman said afterwards.

"It has been almost 14 years that I’ve been going to board meetings. It’s mixed emotions because during that tenure I’ve worked with some very good people. It has been a true partnership. The board has had an invested interest in policing in this community’s safety and what is best for the service."

Herman said his next priority includes fishing and trying to adjust to life in retirement.

Virdiramo praised Herman for his dedication to policing and working with other organizations to keep the city safe.

"I think Herman has done an excellent job," he said. "Sometimes the work of police officers is done behind the scenes. You don’t talk about it because you’re doing things in the best interest of the citizens and the city."

Board members also paid tribute to retired Justice of the Peace Gene Bannon. The 69-year-old ended his 35-year career in May but he said he would continue to work when someone calls in sick or goes on vacation.

"I always said I was like a referee in the middle," Bannon said. "I saw my job as a way to serve the public, the police and ensure that police aren’t abusing their role and make sure people understood the role of the police. I was a go between for everybody."

Board members also discussed the replacement of a taxi stand on Red River Road with metre parking. Virdiramo said the board wanted to complete a study before they made any decisions.

"We want to do a further study to make certain that we’re providing the proper taxi service for citizens at the right price," he said. "I can’t predict what the study will say but we have talked about pricing and talked about gas prices."

The study is expected to be completed within three months.