Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson has officially announced his resignation from his post on Wednesday.
Hanson thanked everyone at the conference, paying special attention to the media who he says kept him and the rest of the force accountable for their actions.
"I'm not one for long farewells, I'm grateful for the commission and the support they gave me," he said on Wednesday.
He says that he has a multitude of regrets. "As a police officer, you learn early to always reflect on what you've done. If you look back on regrets, you always look back on those. The regrets are such that you don't have the foresight to prevent the things that have happened."
Hanson also reflects on the sheer terror of being told that the G8 Summit would be held in Calgary in 2001 but was glad when it ended without incident. "You feel relief, you feel gratitude, you feel happy."
He says the police commission has a really tough decision ahead of them in picking a successor, but says they won't need to look far.
"The person who is best capable of carrying this police service into the future is currently in this service right now."
He says policing in Canada is under extreme pressure at the current time. "The risk is people get into cut budgets, not focusing on prevention, not on early intervention."
Hanson also says he would like to see legislation to give police more access to phone and technological communications.
He wants the force to remember to never forget the reasons that brought them to become police officers in the first place.
Hanson says he is still deciding what he will be doing in the future, but it will not be in policing.
"I've met the nicest people in Calgary. I had to leave the city to realize that," Hanson said. "I never thought I would last 40 years in the force. Am I going to miss it? Yeah. Am I going to miss the people? Yeah. Am I going to miss sparring with you? Yeah."
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the city has been blessed with the best chief anywhere.
He says that Hanson understands the issues facing the city. "We look to you with enormous gratitude. Calgary today is safer than it has been in a generation. We're going to miss you, thank you."
Hanson was officially sworn in as Calgary's chief back in 2007, replacing Jack Beaton.
He spent most of his 38 year career with city police, except for two years working with the RCMP in Edmonton.
He joined the force back in 1975, working in the senior management level for more than half of his career in law enforcement.
He possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Calgary and an honourary Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Mount Royal University.
The news of Hanson's resignation comes as a particular shock, considering that he had signed a new contract that was set to expire in 2018.
Alberta's Justice Minister, Jonathan Denis, released a statement thanking Hanson for his service and commitment.
“Chief Hanson has made a significant contribution to the law enforcement community in our province. On behalf of all Albertans I want to thank him for his dedication, especially in the areas of homelessness, domestic violence and youth intervention," said Denis. “I appreciated the positive relationship we developed while serving our province together, and I very much enjoyed working with him over the past several years on various initiatives to make Calgary a safer place to live, work and raise a family.”
There is no word on who will be replacing Hanson at this time.
It's reported that Hanson's last day will be March 13.
