Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill retires

Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill says he wants "to leave when things are going good."

Weighill announced his retirement Tuesday after 11 years leading the city police service.

"It's been a bittersweet day for me. It's time for me to move on to the next chapter," Weighill said.

Biggest achievements

Weighill said a decade of service is "fairly long" for a police chief in a major Canadian city.

He said he's proud to have been part of development of the new police headquarters and its statue commemorating missing and murdered Indigenous women.

He's also proud that crime in the city has decreased by many measures during his tenure, and morale among officers has improved.

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And he said he's tried hard to heal and improve relations between police and the Indigenous community.

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"There are just so many things that have happened," Weighill said. "I came at a time when the organization wanted change. I just came in at the right time."

Rebuilding broken relationships

Weighill took over the top job two years after the damning findings of the Neil Stonechild inquiry.

'When Weighill took over, he really turned it around.'- Les MacPherson

Stonechild's frozen body was found in a field near 57th Street in 1990.

A decade went by before two other Indigenous men died under similar circumstances. The deaths were suspected of being linked to an alleged police practice called "starlight tours," where officers would drop off intoxicated people on the edges of town so they could sober up by walking.

A 2004 inquiry found city police officers had botched the investigation because they either knew or suspected fellow officers were involved.

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Officers Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger were fired but they were never criminally charged.

Biggest change in decades: Long-time journalist

Les MacPherson, who covered city issues for more than 37 years as a journalist and columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, said Weighill transformed the city police service from one of the worst in North America to one of the best.

He said it was the single biggest change he saw take place in Saskatoon during his career.

"When Weighill took over, he really turned it around — I think by force of his personality, by the amount that he cared for the people that worked for the police service and the amount that he cared for the community," said MacPherson.

"And he brought the community and the police service together again and now I think we have one of the best police forces in Canada."

MacPherson said he also saw a change in the efficiency of police investigations under Weighill's leadership, and a strengthening of the relationship between police and the Indigenous community. 

Timeline: 11 years as Saskatoon's police chief

2006: Weighill, a 31-year veteran of the Regina Police Service, is hired as Saskatoon's police chief. He takes over the job in September.

"There is no handbook on how to be a successful police chief," he tells reporters at his introductory scrum. "The success comes by working with people collaboratively and with others to find solutions. I ask that you give me the time it takes to formulate those action plans."

2007: Weighill announces a massive redeployment, his first major initiative. The city is divided into three districts — northwest, east, and central — which stand to this day.

2009: Weighill speaks out after a sex scandal that involves six officers, including a senior officer, caught in what was only officially termed "inappropriate behaviour" at work between five males and one female officer. Two officers resigned and four were disciplined. Police spokeswoman Alyson Edwards said the chief was sending a message to officers and the public.

2010: Weighill starts leading the push for photo radar in Saskatoon. He continued to advocate for speed cameras until they were eventually introduced to Saskatoon in 2014.

2012: Weighill welcomed the introduction of the city's Adult Services Licensing Bylaw, which gave police new powers to regulate the sex trade in Saskatoon. Weighill said the goal was to protect underage teens by targeting the internet sex trade, escort businesses and massage parlours. The bylaw required adult service businesses to be licensed.

2014: Weighill pushed for an extra $4.5 million in the 2014 police budget to cope with growth in the city and continue a downward trend in crime. But the budget was unanimously rejected by city council.

2014: Chief Weighill locked the doors of the city's old police station and marched with officers to the new building on 25th Street E. The launch came seven years after he started pushing for the construction of a new police building in 2007. 

2015: The chief spoke to protesters at a rally against the controversial practice of street checks or "carding." Concerns were raised that Indigenous people and minority groups would be unfairly targeted.

"Anybody that's listened to me talk before knows I certainly believe in social justice," Weighill told the crowd. He said the practice would be continued but reviewed. It is still part of police practice today.