Edmonton police chief 'very interested' in renewing contract
Rod Knecht said Thursday he expects to confirm "any day" if he will be staying on as Edmonton's police chief but acknowledges he is "very interested."
Knecht emphasized it could go either way but he said the discussion with the police commission at this point is around "the tweaking of the contract and an extension." His current contract is due to expire on Oct. 31, 2018.
"When I got the job, I had a plan," said Knecht. "I've seen most of that plan through. I still have a couple of things in that plan I'd like to complete."
Some of those objectives include putting a cyber strategy in place and succession planning, said Knecht.
He said he's also keen to see the creation of the Operations and Intelligence Command Centre — a specialized hub that would provide intelligence to police officers in the field in real time through state-of-the-art technology.
Knecht has been at the helm since 2011. This would be the second time Knecht's contract is been renewed.
When asked about some achievements he is proud of, Knecht pointed to the international Wolf Award received by the Edmonton police in 2016 for work with Indigenous youth, as well as a human rights award that same year from the International Association of Chiefs for work with Edmonton's emerging Syrian community.
In 2018, EPS was recognized as one of the top 70 employers in Alberta for its progressive human resources programs.
