Halifax names longtime officer as new police chief

A longtime Halifax Regional Police officer has been hired to lead the municipal force, and will be the city's first permanent Black chief in HRP history.

On Tuesday, the Halifax municipality announced Don MacLean has been chosen as the new Halifax Regional Police chief. It's been nearly a year since MacLean was tapped to be acting chief during the search to fill the role permanently.

"I'm born and raised in Halifax, and policing has been obviously a very integral part of my life. And to be ... at the helm is, like I said, a great honour," MacLean said Wednesday before a police board meeting where his hiring announcement was greeted with applause.

MacLean said he's "certainly humbled" to lead the force, but thanked the police board and city for their confidence in him.

He takes the top job during a time of change in local policing.

The city is looking to transform policing in various ways, including more civilian responses to calls around mental health or homelessness. The Halifax Regional Police and RCMP are also making changes to be a fully integrated force, and recruitment and retention remain pressing issues.

"My leadership will be about trying to, you know, establish community collaboration and partnerships, having a strong public-safety responsiveness, and just as important, have a very healthy and engaged workforce," MacLean said.

Coun. Becky Kent, chair of the board of police commissioners, worked with a consultant, other police board members, Mayor Mike Savage and chief administrative officer Cathie O'Toole on the search for a new chief.

"To have Chief Don MacLean be the successful candidate feels really right. He's meeting the needs of what we have happening in policing now, so I'm excited for him — and for us," Kent said Tuesday.

She said a list of 32 people was cut down to six who were interviewed. MacLean performed very well, Kent said, and his local ties were a "key component" in the decision.

"That's significant, and that is insightful," Kent said.

MacLean has been with the Halifax police force for 31 years. A release said he's been deputy chief of operations since 2020, overseeing both the patrol and criminal investigation divisions. 

He also served as the first diversity officer for Halifax police from 2004 to 2006, and is co-chair of the Wortley Report Research Committee, which works to make changes that address bias and systemic racism in policing.

Kent said MacLean has already proven to be an "exceptional relationship builder," which will be key when connecting with marginalized communities who have a distrust of police.

Most recently, she said, MacLean came off vacation early to check in with police members and the Black community in the aftermath of the recent shooting at the Africville Family Reunion where five people were injured.

"It was just instinctive. He's been in the trenches, he's been on the beats, he wants to make sure that the strength of the service is solid," Kent said.

"[MacLean] interviewed exceptionally well and I think in the time that he's been in that role, he's shown that he can make some change — and he's going to have to continue to do that," Savage said after the announcement.

The search for a new chief was triggered last fall when former chief Dan Kinsella retired. He'd served most of his career in Hamilton, Ont., before taking the top job in Halifax for three years.

MacLean's first day on the job will be Aug. 12.