The first woman ever to be named chief of a municipal police force in Atlantic Canada is settling into her new permanent role.
Leanne Fitch is a 27-year veteran of the Fredericton Police Force. She had been serving as the department’s acting police chief for the last 11 months.
“It is a historic occasion for our city,” said Fitch. “I’m very proud of my city and council that saw fit to give me this opportunity going forward.”
Fitch, who was officially named chief this week, also holds the title of being the region’s first female deputy chief for a municipal police force.
By the time she joined the city’s police force in 1986 as a park patrol officer, Fitch was only the fifth woman to ever have been an officer in Fredericton.
“I do have lots of stories of what it was like as a young patrol constable out there on the street, being this small girl who would arrive on calls, and the challenges I faced early on in being taken seriously,” she said.
Fitch joins seven other women across Canada currently serving as chief of a municipal police force.
She’s only the 12th woman ever to be named to that role in Canadian history.
The new police chief says one of her top priorities will be to address union complaints of low staff morale.
Fitch also says the city's police force is relatively fresh-faced, with about 50 per cent of officers only joining in the last few years.
“I think one of my number one goals is to work very closely with the employees to develop some succession planning,” she said. “To develop knowledge base in the organization so that down the road there are plenty of good people who can step into those leadership roles and continue policing our city.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Nick Moore
