Adam Palmer is the city’s new police chief.
The Vancouver Police Department issued a statement Thursday saying the Vancouver Police Board selected the 52-year-old deputy chief to replace Jim Chu, who is retiring after almost eight years at the helm.
“I am very pleased that we were able to choose a new chief internally and grateful to the eight members of the police board for their careful deliberations,” Chu said in the statement.
The VPD would not make Palmer, who has been a deputy chief since 2010, available for interviews until Friday. He was one of two finalists for the job, beating out deputy chief Doug LePard, who withdrew his candidacy to support Palmer.
Chu thanked LePard for making “a difficult personal decision to withdraw and I know he was putting the interests of the VPD first.” There is speculation LePard may be in line for the chief’s job in Delta. The statement did not mention whether the department’s other deputy chief, Warren Lemcke, had applied for the job.
“The police board was very pleased that we had two outstanding internal candidates as finalists,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson, who doubles as chairperson of the police board. “We are confident that Chief Constable Adam Palmer will continue the progress of his predecessor Chief Constable Jim Chu, striving to make Vancouver the safest major city in Canada and further enhancing the reputation of the VPD as an excellent police service.”
Robertson said the decision to hire Palmer was unanimous by the board’s eight members, which include business people, a medical doctor, a lawyer and leader in the South Asian community.
When Chu announced his retirement in January, he publicly urged the board to consider his three deputy chiefs for the job. The police board had conducted an international search for Chu’s successor.
Palmer is a former correctional officer who was born and raised in the Vancouver area. He joined the VPD in 1987 and spent 13 years of his career working as a patrol officer on the East Side. He has worked in the jail, crowd control, gang crime, organized crime and the planning, research and audit section.
He has a wealth of policing and management experience, including the officer in charge of the policing district that includes the Downtown Eastside. As a sergeant, he managed a long-term review of VPD operations.
Palmer quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a deputy chief in 2010 and was responsible for the planning, research and audit section, human resources, training, recruiting, the jail, information management, information technology, communications, fleet, facilities and finance.
Until named chief, he was in charge of the investigative areas of the VPD, including major crime, special investigations, organized crime, general investigations, forensic services, tactical support and youth services.
Palmer received nine VPD commendations, is a former Police Officer of the Year and was invested as a Member of the Order of Merit for the Police Forces.
Chu, meanwhile, hasn't revealed his next move, although there is speculation he may enter politics.
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