Calgary's top cop signs on for another 3 years

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld talks to reporters on Thursday, April 13, 2023, near the scene of a shooting in the Kensington business district in Calgary. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colette Derworiz

Chief Const. Mark Neufeld will lead the Calgary Police Service until at least 2027, officials said Friday.

Neufeld and the Calgary Police Commission (CPC) agreed to a three-year extension of his contract, saying he was the "top choice" to lead the CPS.

Assuming command in 2019, Neufeld was the fifth person in five years to lead. He has taken on a variety of challenges within the service, including financial difficulties, systemic racism and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

"He has since put CPS on a path of transformation that includes stronger community partnerships, alternative ways of responding to people in crisis, and more equitably serving the community," officials said in a statement.

Neufeld also worked to streamline the process needed to file complaints about officer conduct so that they are "investigated and resolved more quickly."

"In the face of all those challenges, Chief Neufeld has still managed to set the service on a path to deliver the things Calgarians want," said Commission Chair Shawn Cornett.

Neufeld says leading the CPS is an "absolute honour."

"Thank you to the commission and council for putting their trust in me," he said.

"The past four years have been both challenging and rewarding, and they have unquestionably been the highlight of my career."