A glimpse at Edmonton's new police chief

Edmonton's next chief of police will be a man who takes a proactive approach to community policing, one city councillor said Tuesday.

The Edmonton Police Commission is set to announce Wednesday who will replace former chief Rod Knecht.

The day before the city's top cop is revealed, city councillorsgave cluesat city hall as to the gender, character and possible history or lack thereof inEdmonton.

Councillors emerged from a private meeting, in whichthey gave the final stamp of approval to the commission's choice.

Three adjectives were expressed to describe the incoming chief:creative, impressiveand empathetic.

Coun. Scott McKeen, also a council representative on the police commission, believes thenew police boss will take a fresh approach.

"I think we're going to see a really creative kind of cop that will not be soft on crime but look at ways to reduce crime, calls for service and more focus on proactive community-engaged policing. I'm really pleased."

McKeen said the commission filtered through about a dozen candidates from the outset.

McKeenwouldn't say definitivelywhether the new chief is from outside Edmonton but did say that the new boss "lived part of his or her life in the area."

Coun. Sarah Hamilton described the new boss as "deeply empathic" with an "openness to talking to our other agencies, openness to treating crime and crime prevention as not a policing problem, but a whole society problem which it is."

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Mayor Don Ivesonapproved of the choice for the "impressive quality of this individual's service in policing."

Hamilton echoed the idea that the incoming chief has solid background in policing.

"This person has a track record in this area which I think will be of a huge benefit to Edmonton."

McKeen and Ivesoncited privacy reasons for withholding the new chief's identity, until the commission is ready to announce it.

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A starting date for work was also not revealed.

"We won't see him or her in Edmonton for a while,"McKeensaid.

Later,McKeenacknowledged that enough information had been leaked to media previously to confirm the new chief is a man.

Deputy Chief Kevin Brezinski is currently the acting chief until the new boss takes over.

The police commission is scheduled to announce the new chief Wednesday morning at police headquarters.

@natashariebe