Outgoing Police Chief Reflects On Changes In Policing

Fredericton’s outgoing police chief says she has noticed a lot of changes in policing over the course of her career.

Leanne Fitch joined the force as a park patrol officer in the early 1980s. She will retire on Monday after 34 years in policing, including six as police chief.

In a one-on-one interview, Fitch said one of the big changes has been the demographics of the force.

Fitch was only the fifth woman working in the department at the start of her career. Now, one-in-five members are women.

“And the opportunities for women in the police organization obviously changed over the course of time,” she said. “When I first started, it was like a lofty goal to even become a detective in major crime.”

I had the chance to sit down with Chief Leanne Fitch of @CityFredPolice on Wednesday for a one-on-one interview before her retirement next week.

Fitch says she's ready to pass the torch after six years as chief and 34 years in policing. #Fredericton pic.twitter.com/IzwdOAjyrG

— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) June 6, 2019

Fitch said technology has also had a big impact on the way officers do their job, with things like digital fingerprints and mobile computers in their patrol cars.

“Most recently, the introduction of the Trunked Mobile Radio System that allows us to be interoperable with other public safety partners outside of the organization,” Fitch said, noting they also recently acquired a drone.

The advent of social media has led to more accountability but can also be a double-edged sword, she said.

“It does provide a really good opportunity to get information out in both official languages as timely as possible,” Fitch said, “but we also have to be very mindful of the fact we can’t release information too early that’s going to jeopardize the integrity of an investigation.”