Regina Police Chief Evan Bray announced that he plans to retire at the end of June.

While Bray’s announcement is fresh, Mayor Sandra Masters said the search would soon begin to find his replacement.

“The Board of Police Commissioners has an HR sub-committee. That sub-committee will meet and will have to do either call for proposals or an RFP (request for proposals) to executive search firms, and they will be tasked with doing the job postings and getting us a list of applications and a short life for some interviews.”

Masters said she believes the city will have no issue finding its next police chief.

“The City of Regina is of a size that is very attractive for either deputy chiefs of other cities or police chiefs of smaller cities,” she said. “I think for those that give their life to that type of public service, to serve and protect, I think Regina is an attractive city, and we have a great police force to join.”

The Mayor noted that finding another police chief with the calibre of Bray might be difficult.

“His ability to connect with the community is outstanding. His ability to present, engage and connect with people is something that I would personally look for in the next candidate,” she said. “We understand that community policing is of paramount importance moving forward and building trust and building relationships and understanding and awareness within the community.”

She said that she’s hopeful that they will be able to find a replacement before Bray hangs up his hat.

“Chief Bray is going to be on holiday for the month of July, and standard procedure would be that he appoints an acting chief while he’s away,” he said. “I believe that we have until July 31, and that would be the goal.”

Masters also commented on Bray’s retirement, calling it bittersweet for her and the city and applauded his work in fighting for his officers.

“I think because Chief spent a great deal of his career on the frontline and then as a watch commander and then worked his way up the ranks, he was always fighting for the frontline,” she said. “For resources to the frontline, trying to really express their experience and the need to support them.”

“I think he has an ability with communication and empathy, and he truly feels for people. He’s able to make connections in the community to be respectful, to listen, to learn; I think it’s one of those roles that every day you are learning something, whether that’s about other cultures, about your city, or about the city human resource management, all of those things.”

Masters added that they would miss his leadership and his ability to make community connections.