Despite being in the city for less than two months, Grande Prairie’s new top cop likes what he’s seen. Superintendent and Officer in Charge of the Grande Prairie RCMP Detachment Sean Curry believes the Swan City has the reputation across the country of a place where officers aren’t afraid to try new techniques and continue their education as law enforcement officers.
“The Grande Prairie detachment has a history at looking to pilot new ideas, and that innovation and willingness to try new things is going to continue while I’m here,” he explains.
“They’re enthusiastic, they want to learn and they’re on board with intelligence-lead policing. The community itself has been fantastic; the community is anything anybody would ever want and everyone I’ve met so far has been wonderful,” he adds.
Curry has spent time most recently in Ontario and Nova Scotia. While he continues to get used to his new surroundings, he says issues with rising property crime rates and opioid-related fatalities aren’t something out of his range of experience.
“Grande Prairie obviously has its unique challenges, but it is not dissimilar to other detachments this size I’ve worked in.”
He adds some of the longer-term projects he wants to implement will remain behind closed doors, for the time being. However, some basic changes have already been made, which Curry hopes will soon bear fruit.
“Currently there are internal processes that I’ve wanted to put in place and have initiated to begin sharing our intelligence more broadly, not only within the detachment but within the surrounding jurisdictions. That initiative has already begun, and as we become more comfortable with that, new initiatives will take place.”
Curry replaces former Superintendent Don McKenna who retired from active duty back in May.