Heather Wright/The Independent

The Sarnia Police Service has brought in the head of the Coalition for Canadian Police Excellence to lead the department through a difficult period.

Former Deputy Toronto Police Chief Mike Federico will step into the role of interim chief in Sarnia June 15.

Police Services Board Chair Kelly Ash says the move comes at the recommendation of the board’s legal council and the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s office in the wake of the suspension of Chief Derek Davis last week. The police board has hired a Toronto firm to conduct an investigation into a workplace harassment allegation against Davis. Initially, the board named Deputy Chief Mike VanSickle as interim chief. Friday, the board announced Federico will step in.

“Typically, these types of investigations do take a long time to resolve –  a minimum of six months – and it could be as long as a year,” said Ash. “We just wanted to provide assistance to the service and to our deputies, who we have complete faith and confidence in. It’s just a difficult situation for everybody, so we’re just trying to be cognisant of the fact that this is not a fun spot for anybody to be in, so we’re trying to make sure that we’re taking care of everybody.

“Whenever you have this type of (workplace harassment) investigation, it’s a serious allegation. We’re not making any predetermined results. We’re not looking at what could happen and what might happen, and we have brought in somebody that is a temporary solution to our existing situation.”

Federico has a long history in policing. He’d been an officer with the Toronto Police Service 45 years including serving as deputy chief. He’s been Senior Investigative Advisor to the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, now called the Inspectorate of Policing, the agency responsible for police oversight in the province. He was recently appointed as the administrator to the Durham Regional Police by the agency to focus on human resources including how discipline and promotions are handled.  

He’s also the president of the Coalition for Canadian Police Excellence, which wants to educate Canadians about the need for professionalization of policing through national standards and better education about everything from the history of Indigenous communities, the relationship of policing to Black communities, dealing with mental health issues while policing and continuous training of officers.

The board said in a news release “Chief Federico brings a wealth of senior command experience to Sarnia. He has previously been called upon by provincial oversight bodies to step into complex transitional environments and successfully steer police services through leadership transitions with absolute transparency.

“In his interim role, Chief Federico will assume strategic oversight of the service. He will work closely alongside Deputy Chief Michael VanSickle, Deputy Chief Ron Hansen and the existing senior command team to maintain daily frontline operations, support members of the service, and fulfil the board’s commitment to community safety.”

“He’s not looking to land in Sarnia as a permanent chief,” Ash tells The Independent, “nor are we looking to replace our permanent chief. We’re just looking to continue with the work that we’ve been doing and we need leadership to do that.”