Chatham-Kent now has a new chief of police.
Former Deputy Chief Kirk Earley was sworn in as chief on Wednesday during a Change of Command Ceremony at the Chatham Armoury, surrounded by fellow officers, friends, family and municipal dignitaries.
Earley will fill the role left by Gary Conn, who retired on June 14 after nine years as the municipality’s police chief.
During the ceremony, Earley noted that Chatham-Kent has not been immune to the growing challenges facing police officers throughout the province, including an increase in calls for service, growing social economic impacts, and the increased strain on the physical and mental health of officers.
“Regardless of the challenges we face, the commitment to you, is we will do it together, we will face them together. We will work diligently to ensure our goals and objectives are in line with the needs of the community,” said Earley. “We will engage with the community to understand the unique challenges we face while building positive relationships to form partnerships built on mutual respect and trust.”
Earley said health and wellness initiatives will be a focus of the service, including employing an in-house councillor.
“Member wellness is not a buzzword. It is a fundamental principle that underpins our ability to perform at our best,” he said. “We must prioritize the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of our team. When we take care of ourselves, we are far better equipped to care for those around us.”
In his new leadership role, Earley added he will be instructing the service to complete a review of the organization’s mission vision and values to “ensure they align with today’s Chatham-Kent Police Service.”
“With the recent increase to our resources with a staffing review and the new Community Safety and Policing Act, there is no better time for us to tell our story, to create our identity and give our organization a personality,” said Earley. “We will review and enhance how our resources are utilized and deployed with an attention to people-first programs and ideas.”
He added that the service will also be creating a new “visual brand” through its social media platforms to “set the tone for who we are as an organization.”
Earley began his career as a special constable with the Chatham Police Service in 1997. He was then sworn in as a constable with CKPS in 1998. Since then, he has served and had supervisory roles in several branches of the department, including Community Patrol, Training, Community Priority Action Team, Major Crime, and the Intelligence Unit.
Prior to being sworn in, Earley assumed the duties of chief designate on Saturday.
