St. Thomas' Chief of Police has announced his intentions to retire.
The St. Thomas Police Services Board confirmed Thursday that Chris Herridge gave the board his notice of retirement in September. He was appointed the role in 2017.
"We have made tremendous strides in transforming into one of the most professional, advanced and transparent police services in Ontario," Herridge said in a statement issued Thursday. "Leadership is about preparing, empowering and inspiring others to lead. Now is the right time for me to step away and let the very capable internal future leaders take this amazing police service even further."
Herridge's career in policing dates back nearly 35 years. He joined the St. Thomas Police Service (STPS) in 1989 as a Cadet and over the years, he worked in nearly all of the various units either in a direct or supervisory role.
After close to a decade in general patrol in the traffic unit, Herridge began to climb the ranks with the STPS and was promoted several times in different departments. In 2013, he was promoted to the rank of Inspector, and later to Staff Inspector just before becoming Chief of Police.
"[Herridge's] dedication to the safety of the citizens of St. Thomas is the result of a strong commitment to community policing and the restructuring of the police service to make it more efficient and effective," said STPS Board Chair Dan Reith. "We thank the Chief for his compassionate approaches to ensure community safety and wellness and an unyielding commitment to the members of the police service."
Deputy Chief Marc Roskamp will assume the role in place of Herridge in January and will assume the role in an acting capacity in May 2023. Herridge's last working day is in February.
"Chief Herridge leaves behind a legacy of excellence. His leadership, vision and passion for modern police services have been essential for the growth mindset of the St. Thomas Police Service that has been our existence for the past five years," Roskamp said. "He is well known in the community and has been a strong leader locally."
Roskamp said his focus as chief will be to ensure all members are given resiliency training and skills to function optimally, both professionally and personally. He added that his plan will speak to the wellness of service members and the community and will be the focal point moving forward.
"The Board has full confidence in Marc’s ability to lead the police service into the future. His experience will be of value in his new role as the Board and the Service continue to strive for operational excellence and innovation in the delivery of policing services," Reith said.
With the announcement of Herridge's retirement, the board has promoted several members of the police service to new roles which includes Insp. Scott Barnes, a 28 year veteran appointed to Deputy Chief, Insp. Steve Bogart, promoted as a Staff Inspector, and a newly promoted Inspector will be Kim Manuel, the STPS's first sworn female member of the administration.
The police board said the new promotions will complement the existing administration which includes Tiffany Terpstra as executive administrator and Alison Barrie as the human resource coordinator.
Herridge's news of retirement comes just over one week after London's Chief of Police Steve Williams announced his retirement.
