REGINA — The day after Regina announced she was the city's new police chief, Lorilee Davies found her office locker decorated with ribbons and messages written on paper.
They read, 'Congrats' and 'Girl Power.'
Davies is the first woman to hold the top job in Saskatchewan's capital but calls it bittersweet. She's sad it took so long but happy about what it means to young girls and women.
"I'm really hoping that if they feel like they can see it, they can be it," Davies said Wednesday in an interview.
"If it results in more applicants to the Regina Police Service, then that's a really good thing."
She said she doesn't feel like she needs to hold a beacon.
"I don't think I need to do anything else or be anything else. I hope that my work and the way I present myself speaks for itself."
Davies, 54, was named to the post last week by the city’s police commission. It’s a job she won after previously losing.
She applied for the role two years ago after Evan Bray retired, but the Regina Board of Police Commissioners hired Farook Sheikh.
Davies said she questioned whether to stay but decided to stick it out.
"It was important for me just to stay the course and be here and do what I could to help support our people and lead this organization," she said.
"(I) kind of hoped in the back of my mind that maybe at some point there would be (another) opportunity."
In late October, Sheikh was fired following a misconduct investigation, and soon after Davies had a second chance.
Born in Leross, northeast of Regina, Davies worked as a TV and radio reporter in the city before becoming an officer in 1996.
She said she became interested in policing after participating in the Citizens Police Academy, an 11-week program the service provides to the public.
"After I went on that ride-along, I was hooked," Davies said. "In my previous work, I really felt like I wasn't giving back to the community, helping the community in the way that I really wanted."
Davies started in the detention unit and moved up the ranks. She served in investigative teams, human resources and as a critical incident commander.
Under Bray, she was a deputy chief.
It was while working together, she realized she could do the job one day, she said.
"(Bray) was a really good mentor of mine," Davies said. "I think under his leadership that was something where I thought, yeah, this is maybe something that I can aspire to."
Davies served as acting chief earlier this year while Sheikh was on leave, before his termination. She becomes 16th person in the role.
As a female officer, Davies said she acknowledges the position comes with extra responsibility.
A father told Davies recently that he spoke with his daughter about the chief appointment and what it means to girls in the community.
"That those conversations are happening right now, I feel really honoured and humbled," Davis said.
The service has become better at recognizing what women bring to the table, Davies said.
"It's interesting, because you reflect on it now and you think about things that happened or certain situations. And you're like, ‘Oh, I don't know about that,’" she said.
"I always felt like I had to work a little bit harder, do a little bit more in order to be accepted. But you know, hard work is never a bad thing."
She said there are now women working in roles traditionally held by men, including firearms and self-defence instructors.
She also wants the force to look into new innovations that could assist officers, including body cameras and using artificial intelligence to triage non-emergency calls.
Growing issues in Regina include drug problems and homelessness — a situation requiring collaboration from all levels of government, Davies said.
"Treatment spaces are always something that are needed," she said.
“But I appreciate those are complex issues and not easily solved."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2025.
Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
